Whenever I arrive in Mandalay, I head to the Aye Myit Tar restaurant on 81st Street (between 29th and 30th streets) for dinner the first night. I invited my friend, Htoo Htoo, also known to many tourists as Mr. Htoo, to join me for dinner, since my American friend, Walter (who teaches at an international school in town), was busy that night.
But before the evening was out, we were joined by two more surprise guests; Moe Htet Aung and Zin Ko, friends from the 90th Street neighborhood. I had mentioned to them that I eat dinner at Aye Myit Tar frequently, so they knew where to find me. They had already eaten earlier in the evening, but they joined us for soft drinks after the meal, while I worked on a second bottle of Myanmar Beer.
I ended up eating dinner at Aye Myit Tar almost every night I was in Mandalay, the only exception being the night I met Walter for dinner at V Café, and another night when I went with Moe Htet Aung and Zin Ko to a karaoke bar & restaurant on the other side of town. After that first night I told Moe Htet Aung and Zin Ko that they were invited to join me for dinner any night that they were free, and that ended up being every night I was in town! But I was more than happy to have them join me. They’re good kids and I enjoy their company, and the prices at the restaurant are low enough that having two extra guests is not a huge expense.
One night at Aye Myit Tar I was pleasantly surprised to run into my Australian friend, Judyth Gregory-Smith, the author of Myanmar: A Memoir of Loss and Recovery, who was dining there with two of her local friends. Judyth is a frequent visitor to Myanmar and was checking in with her friends and checking up on her various projects. She is also in midst of writing another book.
As usual, we were spoiled by the incredible service at Aye Myit Tar. The waiters remain diligent, attentive, friendly, polite, and sometimes silly. A good combination! My usual crew of Nyein Htun, Ko Ko Oo, Aung Myo Ko, and Kyaw Myu Htun were supplemented by a revolving cast of others. It gets to be comical at times, all these waiters taking turns to fill up my glass of beer, dishing out more heaping spoonfuls of rice, refilling the side dishes of vegetables, bringing out another bowl of soup, and giving me extra servings of curry. To say that I feel bloated when I leave the place is an understatement! For such good service I always make sure to tip the guys extra, and this time I brought them all souvenir key chains from Inle Lake as a bonus gift. These guys work long hours — usually from seven in the morning until at least nine every night, with only an hour or two break in the afternoon — so I feel that any extra perk that I can give them is more than deserved.
garlic never sleeps 