Burma Burma turns 10: What makes this vegetarian restaurant the flavour of eight cities (2024)

Ten years ago, Ankit Gupta, in partnership with his school friend-turned-business partner Chirag Chhajer, opened Burma Burma in the bustling art district of Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. The roots, however, could be traced back to the Gupta household where their food was a mix of Indian and Burmese plates. Think of a bowl of creamy khao suey, a coconut milk noodle soup served with condiments, or savoury laphet thoke, a fermented tea leaf salad that has mildly sour flavours.

For a young Gupta, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary until he realised that the delicious dishes from his tiffin or family gatherings weren’t available anywhere else.

“I just assumed what I ate at home must be easy to find outside but it wasn’t. That’s when it registered that what we have is something special,” recalls Gupta, now 34. This realisation nudged him to take a deeper interest in his mother’s cooking. “I began connecting with my mother’s Burmese roots.”

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Gupta’s mother Urmila was born and raised in Prome (now Pyay), a bustling trading town in southern Burma (now Myanmar). Originally from Fatehpur, Rajasthan, her grandfather moved to Burma in the early 1900s for business. She grew up savouring the flavours of Burma. “Near our school, there were carts selling raw mango salad, laphet thoke, khao suey and other dishes. While my mother only cooked Indian food at home, I was allowed to eat Burmese dishes — but only vegetarian,” remembers the 70-year-old, who eventually mastered these recipes. In the early 1970s, Urmila emigrated to India with her family and soon married a hotelier in Mumbai. “I missed Burmese food, so I cooked it at home. My devrani and jethani (sisters-in-law) loved it,” she smiles, “I always dreamed of opening a Burmese restaurant.”

Coming from a family deeply entrenched in hospitality — his grandfather had licensed several tea stall-cum-snack shops across Mumbai’s railway stations before transitioning to hotel management, a legacy continued by his father — Gupta’s interest in exploring Burma’s culinary heritage seemed like a natural progression.

“Initially, I thought I’d open a pan-Asian restaurant; Burmese cuisine wasn’t my primary focus,” he recalls. After earning his hotel management degree, Gupta joined the Indian Hotels Company as a management trainee at The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai.

Everything changed with his first trip to Burma in 2011, on which he took along his batchmate Ansab Khan, now head chef of Burma Burma. They travelled across Mandalay, Yangon and Sagaing, eating at friends’ homes, exploring street food, and visiting local markets.

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Around this time, he reconnected with his school friend Chhajer. “Chirag had an office in China, which is also the best place for sourcing kitchen equipment. We took a trip together. That’s when our friendship rekindled,” says Gupta. “It was also when I started thinking about stepping away from my family business to do something on my own,” adds Chhajer.

To test the waters, they hosted pop-ups in Mumbai and Goa. They began working closely with Burmese chefs, borrowing recipes from Urmila, and assembling a team. Burma Burma, India’s first vegetarian Burmese restaurant, opened its doors in May 2014 in Kala Ghoda — a bold choice for a neighbourhood that traditionally emptied out by 6 pm as the office-goers departed.

Designed by Minnie Bhatt, the restaurant and tea bar showcases earthy wooden interiors. The menu, curated under Urmila’s guidance, included family favourites like the Oh No Khowsuey and Tea Leaf Salad. “From day one, the response was overwhelming,” Gupta says. “There was a month-long wait to get a table.” His mother chimes in, “Even my friends would call, asking for a table!”

Burma Burma turns 10: What makes this vegetarian restaurant the flavour of eight cities (2) Ankit Gupta (left) and Chirag Chhajer (credit: Daksh Chindalia)

Hunger Pangs Pvt Ltd, the parent company founded by Gupta and Chhajer, now runs 13 outlets across eight cities. Last month, they raised $2 million in equity investment, following a successful $2 million seed round in November 2022. And they are now eyeing 12 new restaurants over the next 24-36 months, including at Mumbai’s Palladium Mall and Delhi’s DLF Promenade.

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When asked about the secret behind their successful partnership, Gupta and Chhajer echo the same principles: “It’s communication, transparency, and clearly defined roles.” Their success is also attributed to a process-driven approach. Every three months, they review sales, replacing underperforming dishes with popular choices from special or anniversary menus, like Palattas brought in by the Chettinads living in Burma.

Also Read | Chef Manish Mehrotra on quitting Indian Accent: ‘I am not retiring; I am going to celebrate Diwali, attend every card party and then consider new opportunities’

Their journey, however, hasn’t been without challenges. When they opened their second outlet at CyberHub, Gurgaon, in 2016, the response wasn’t as immediate. Unlike in Mumbai, where tables were fully booked, the Gurgaon outpost saw customers come in, sip water, glance at the menu, and leave. “Then we realised that Gurgaon is a heavy meat-eating market. We never advertised as a vegetarian restaurant, nor did we use a green dot. We’re a Burmese restaurant that happens to be vegetarian,” says Gupta, “Thankfully, those who stayed and had a meal kept coming back, and word of mouth eventually spread.”

So, what’s next for Burma Burma? “We aim to be listed on the stock exchange in the next two to three years,” reveals Chhajer.

Burma Burma turns 10: What makes this vegetarian restaurant the flavour of eight cities (2024)
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