If you missed celebrating the Burmese New Year in April, the limited-edition menu at Burma Burma has you covered. We previewed the Thingyan Festival menu and it has everything from street-style small plates and generous rice bowls to festive sweets, in play from May 1 to 31, 2026.

Very like Songkran in Thailand and our own Holi, Thingyan is Myanmar's 'water festival', marked by the tradition of playful water splashing to wash away the old and welcome the new, symbolising purification. It is a time when Burmese lunch houses are lively with families and friends gathering to enjoy comforting meals and toast new beginnings. Burma Burma co-founder Ankit Gupta, who has family ties with and great affection for Myanmar, tells us that the entire country gives itself over to celebrating Thingyan each year.

The flavour, colour, and celebration of Thingyan are easily enjoyed at the big, light-filled BKC outlet of Burma Burma. The decor in each Burma Burma restaurant is distinctly and distinctively different; this one has Burmese parasols suspended from the high ceiling and commissioned paintings by Burmese artists on the walls.

What We Ate & Drank: We began with the unique Burmese hand wash experience, and settled down to taste the quartet of table sauces - roasted chilli with jaggery, chilli tamarind, smoked black bean, and tangy roselle - which we found we didn't need through the rest of the meal.

We started with the special beverages. The Hibiscus Lemonade (middle left) - hibiscus tea blended with condensed milk and lime, topped with brown sugar jelly - is worth ordering just for the very Instagrammable serving ritual, but, as a bonus, is also very yummy. We also tried the Chilli Mango Twist(front left) - mango juice with jalapeno and aromatic coriander leaves - made more interesting by the unusual textured tangy rim.

The Small Plates on the festive menu are inspired by Burmese street favourites. The New Year Parcels were a revelation. Soy-seasoned cabbage and sprouts salad is tucked into delicate tofu pockets and served with a very different chilli garlic sauce. The Street-Style Rice Crêpes are smothered in a peanut-coconut sauce, with fresh pea shoot salad and chilli oil.

Salads are very much part of Burma Burma's USP and the Summer Salad is no exception. Grapefruit and sweet lime segments are tossed with pea shoots and brightened with a tangy pickled ginger and plum dressing.

Don't miss the fruit leather rolls that your server will bring, hawker style, to the table - again echoing an element from bustling Burmese street markets. You get to pick from vibrant combinations such as pineapple and coconut, muskmelon and mint, tamarind with chilli salt, and raw mango and kokum, each capturing the bold sweet, sour and spicy notes characteristic of classic Burmese street snacks.

Rice - the most cherished harvest in the region - is at the heart of all meals at Burmese lunch houses. Made for sharing by two, each of the rice bowls on the Thingyan menu begins with a fragrant rice preparation, paired with a spiced curry, a seasonal vegetable stir-fry, and a crunchy snack.