YANGON—Offering a rare opportunity for Myanmar diners to experience the rich diversity of Czech cuisine, Sule Shangri-La Yangon has arranged a dinner buffet, “Czech A Sar A Sa”. The event features authentic dishes from the Central European country and highlights the culinary creations of special guest chef Jiří Vaněček.
The buffet (dinner only) will be available from Nov. 27-30 for US$36 net per person at Café Sule.
The Czech Republic is famous for its cultural attractions, including its Gothic and Baroque architecture and rich cuisine—including its legendary beers. Most Czech dishes are meat-based; pork is a particular favorite and many dishes are covered in sauces and thick gravies with amazing flavor combinations.
Czech cuisine draws heavily from its neighbors, including Germany and Austria, but has its own story to tell. Chef Jiří has created a menu for Sule Shangri-La’s buffet that includes the traditional Czech soup kulajda and the appetizer chlebičky, along with goulash, strawberry dumplings and many others dishes.
Kulajda is a white creamy soup made with sour cream, potatoes, dill, quail eggs and mushrooms. It’s a staple of every Czech home and often served as a main dish. The creamy broth and heavy flavor combination of the ingredients are rather filling, so leave some room for the other dishes.
Chlebičky is a traditional appetizer a bit like an open sandwich. The chef spreads butter on slices of bread before lavishing them with salami, ham and cheese. The taste is very pleasing and the presentation is pretty.
Goulash is a meat stew—a pork version is on offer at the buffet. Goulash is a popular dish throughout Central Europe; the Czech variety is a thick stew in gravy flavored with paprika and other spices. It reminded me of our local pork curry, with one essential difference—goulash is served with bread. The tender pork and aromatic spices make for a tasty dish.
I loved the crispy pork belly with braised red cabbage stew, and the honey-glazed roast duck with red cabbage sauce. The crispy pork belly was amazing, thanks in large part to the sauce that accompanied it, with the crispy pork skin contrasting nicely with the tender meat. And the roast duck was perfectly matched by its red cabbage sauce. Duck meat tends to be on the firm side, but the chef was able to bring out the tenderness, and the sauce complemented it nicely.
Fruit dumplings are another famous Czech delicacy; the Sule Shangri-La Yangon is serving strawberry ones. The chef uses flour imported all the way from the Czech Republic combined with local seasonal strawberries.
The yellowish dumpling is filled with strawberries and smothered with honey and powdered sugar. If you haven’t gotten your fill of strawberries, add a few more to your plate. The sour [sweet?] dessert was the perfect way to the end the meal and left me feeling pleasantly full.
Overall, the Czech buffet was delicious, filling and attractive (though it is light on vegetables, so you might want to grab a salad before you go). All of these mouthwatering dishes will please your palate.
Table reservations can be made here.
