Photo via Ni Burmese
Ni Burmese - Restaurant Exterior
Diverse as the global village of Milwaukee ethnic restaurants has been, it has lacked the flavors of Myanmar (Burma).
Until about this time last year, that it. It was early 2025 when Ni Burmese (2140 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.; 374-1546) opened to introduce a Southeast Asian cuisine to Milwaukee that hadn't yet had the entirety of a menu dedicated to it.
Yet, the offerings at Ni Burmese demonstrate the anthropological principle of unity in diversity. There's plenty to distinguish Burmese fare as unique, but well-traveled taste buds should easily be able to detect the influences of food from bordering nations such as China, Thailand and India.
My dining companion for a couple of visits to Ni Burmese's airy, elegant space has had chicken biryani plenty of times at East Indian places around the city. But he was grateful to have made his first order of the colorful, buttery dish in a Burmese iteration less spicy than he otherwise might have. Had he ordered it any hotter, he said that it would have been “devastating.” Less sensorily formidable were the samosas he and I shared, delicate pyramids of spring roll wrapping filled potato and onion touched by the sweet and savory seasoning of native Myanmar's rendition of masala.
Savory and Sweet
Photo via Ni Burmese
Ni Burmese - Restaurant Interior
Goat is one of my go-to meals most anyplace that serves the creature's lean, flavorful flesh. My serving of goat curry, prepared with medium heat, did a delicious job of clearing my sinuses and maybe bringing a tear or two of gastronomical joy to my eyes. But it was like none other I had ever encountered, possessed of a savoriness with the hint of a sweetness. For the same price, I'm excited to try the lamb and fish cake curries in the future.
Before any further trips occur, however, the same friend and I revisited for weekday lunch specials of entree and appetizer combinations. For the latter my companion opted for the fermented tea leaf salad; I'd wondered how the brownish, minced foliage I've seen in jars at local Asian groceries were used, and Ni Burmese's version of the salad makes the leaves—fermented with aromatics anywhere from six months to two years—the star in a medley of dried prawns, tomatoes, cabbage and garlic. My partner had no complaints to make regarding the complex, refreshing Burmese staple. Neither had I any gripes over my simpler green papaya salad. Unlike the orange-colored variety of this side dish's featured fruit, green papaya is more savory than sweet, in shredded form appearing similar to giant bamboo shoots. The papaya is lightly dressed and mingled with tomato and white cabbage.
Sprouts and Chicken
As for my entree, bean sprouts are an ingredient in the kat kyi kaik, combined with flat noodles, egg, yellow peas and a sweet chili sauce that didn't give me a knockout kick in the mouth at medium heat. Goat wasn't an option this time, but chicken worked well in this setting. My friend was likewise pleased with his similar noodle-based main course.
With much of the day yet awaiting us, I figured there would be time enough to burn of the calories a dessert would add. The least expensive of Ni Burmese several sweet options took a bit of energy to negotiate, too. Of the manifold ways to prepare Burma's steamed glutinous rice, Ni (the owner) and her daughter make the gooey (and crunchier on the seams) treats in banana leaves arranged like little green samosas. The trick to opening the trio of morsels without smarting one's fingers is quickly removing the toothpicks that secure the leaves. But the mild danger is worth the effort for the multiple textures and intensities of sweetness.
Accentuating the authenticity of Ni Burmese is the folkloric artwork adorning its brightly lit walls. The richness of flavor and sometimes surprising combination of ingredients in Burmese eating may be a revelation to diners not already familiar with the land's fare. But, as interpreted by Ni Burmese, its soulfully satisfying fare may encourage frequent repeat visits to sample its extensive creative menu.
