Amayar, Burmese Curries and Noodles in Maywood, NJ

In early AM, buses from my street shoot express via a highway to their next stop, a terminal block away from the Times Square. Off peak, those buses change routes and, on their way to the city, they take you all over Northern New Jersey. What takes minutes in the morning can take hours in the afternoon.

Some hate this commute. For me, it’s the one time to slow down and to actually sit. And bus is better than train because neighborhoods and window shopping — you never know what you’re going to see.

 

It is during one of these commutes, Tom discovered Burmese Amayar Kitchen and put it on our Mapstr.

 

Amayar is a small — four or five table — restaurant run by a husband and wife assisted by their three daughters. Impeccably clean dining room is separated by a door and a counter from the kitchen and the owners are constantly present in both areas. The friendly and personal attention they give to each guest is that of an entertaining at home. We became on a first name on our first visit.

 

Flavors of Southeast Asia are at the very top of our list that has long time favorites in Woodside, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and closer to home. Amayar with their not too extensive menu must have just shot to the top.

Here are our picks:

 

— Lahpet Thok, Burmese fermented tea leaf salad had crunchy bits of peanuts, some other beans, sesame seeds, and those unmistakable flavors of dried shrimp and roasted garlic. There was some other kind of new umami at the end of each bite. It turned out to be a special peanut oil the owners bring from Burma.

 

— Palata, a flaky fried flatbread reminiscent of Indian paratha was there to wrap crunchy curried beef filling.

 

— Chicken potato curry, reasonably hot, flavorful, not too thick, not too runny was just amazing. And curries rarely get me excited, I love fried food.

 

— SeeJet egg noodles with roasted, fork tender falling apart duck meat were perfumed with deep not invasive but rather delicate roasted garlic flavor.

 

— Balachaung, a spicy dry relish of salty shrimp, caramely fried garlic and onion, pungent chili peppers was so crisp. I was talking my spoon to it but Tom slowed me down, it was a condiment for rice after all.

 

— Sato house made potato chips, named after the restaurant owner who created a special fermented chili concoction to coat them. Hot and spicy but not overwhelmingly so they were shattering crunchy.

 

Books on their shelf got my attention — I saw some familiar ones. The next visit, I will take my time and look at the other ones.