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Burma native Austin Than will open his first restaurant, Burma Sushi & Salad to Go, on Aug. 1. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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This traditional Burmese salad features pickled tea leaves, roasted nuts and legumes, and dried shrimp flakes. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Austin Than, a native of Burma (also known as Myanmar), hopes to expose Richmonders to the flavors of his native land when he opens the doors of his first restaurant, Burma Sushi & Salad to Go, Aug. 1 at 11216 Patterson Ave. in the Tuckahoe Village Shopping Center.
“Not everyone knows Burma food; they know Thailand and Indian, but this is my tradition of food, and I want everyone to know it,” says 52-year-old Than.
Than raises a valid point: Although the Richmond dining scene is well-versed with Thai, Laotian and Chinese offerings, it’s challenging to find traditional Burmese food in the area. However, Richmond is home to a large population of Burmese refugees; they are the fifth largest refugee group in Virginia, according to the 2013 Virginia Refugee Resettlement Report.
Than is excited to bring authentic flavors of Burma, one of the most diverse countries in the world with more than 100 cultural groups, to the local dining scene. He feels that, for many, Burma is known most for its long-running civil war and refugee crisis.
“This is the first [Burmese restaurant] in [the] Richmond area, the first time this [green tea leaf] salad is here,” says Than. “I want to share and show people. I would make this for my friends, and they said, ‘Austin, open [a restaurant], open it.’ ”
The green tea leaf salad is a savory mix of unique flavors and textures. The ingredients are presented in various mounds on the plate, intended to be mixed together according to the preference of the diner. Fermented green tea leaves provide a funky, pickled taste, balanced by the welcoming crunch of crisp roasted nuts and legumes (lentils, peanuts, sesame seeds), along with dried shrimp flakes. Referred to as lahpet in Burmese, the salad was considered an ancient symbol of peace many years ago, and Burma is one of the few countries where tea is not only drunk, but eaten.
Burma Sushi & Salad also offers a ginger salad — layers of pickled ginger, crispy roasted mixed nuts, tomatoes, cabbage, lime and chilies. Than’s tomato and mango salads both aim to present a light, refreshing and colorful balance of taste.
“Not too many American people have tried these salads, and the American salad is so different,” Than says.
Another specialty at the restaurant is sushi, which may seem like an odd pairing, but it’s one with which Than, who came to America in May of 1997, is very familiar.
When Than arrived in New York, he wasn't sure what type of job he would find. A friend taught him how to roll sushi, and now, 20 years later, he's still at it.
“After a few days, I got really fast at rolling,” says Than. “I didn’t have an education, so finding a job was hard [at first], but sushi is a really good business, and it was easy for me to find a job [doing that].”
The now-veteran roller found himself moving up the ranks while working for a franchise of Hissho Sushi in Charlotte, North Carolina. Coincidentally, Hissho Sushi was founded in 1998 by Philip Maung, a native of Burma who arrived in the U.S. in 1989. Now, there are over a thousand Hissho Sushi locations spanning 41 states, and about 95 percent of their employees are Burmese, according to the New York Times.
As a supervisor for the chain, Than traveled across the country — Sarasota, Miami Beach and Tampa, Florida; Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio; Boston; and cities in Minnesota — opening sushi bars at national-chain grocery stores including Kroger, Martin’s and Publix.
Than moved to Richmond in January of 2011 to work at the Martin’s in the Westpark Shopping Center on West Broad Street. When the store closed on July 10 last year, Than found himself out of a job. However, the urge to roll was still there.
Than and his wife, Khin S. Win, also a Burma native and co-owner of the new venture, decided it was time to open a business of their own. Their forthcoming fast-casual restaurant is home to a few small tables, but will mainly operate as a takeout spot.
As for sushi, the menu is a blend of nigiri and sashimi, cooked sushi rolls including the Crunchy Shrimp — cucumber, a house-made spicy sauce, crispy tempura flakes, masago (fish roe) and eel sauce — and chef's specialty rolls like the Crazy Spicy, with a choice of spicy tuna or Norwegian salmon, crispy tempura, fried onions, spicy sauce, Sriracha and jalapenos.
Than believes his years of sushi experience give him an edge and knowledge that others may lack.
“The difficult part is how to make the rice and, especially, how to cut the fish,” says Than. “Making the sushi is easy once you know how, but people don’t know how to store things and keep them fresh. I do.”
Than also wants to cater to the wishes of his diners and proclaims, “If they want spicy, I can make it spicy. If they want mild, I can do that, too.”
Burma Sushi & Salad to Go will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closed on Mondays. They also offer catering and large sushi party trays.
