This unusual restaurant is run by the Ally family who originate from Burma and is, I believe (and as far as Mr Ally knows) the only Burmese restaurant in the UK. (Perhaps we should now refer to Burma as Myanmar but Mr Ally still refers to it as Burma!)

A small and very unpretentious looking place in the Edgeware Road it seats 30 at tables situated close together and covered by plastic table cloths, which give it more the appearance of a greasy spoon cafe or sandwich bar. However, the interesting menu shows that it is neither, and is evidence that Burmese food is a fascinating amalgam of Indian and Thai/South East Asian food. For example, it lists papadums, samosa, naan, pillau rice and various spiced meat dishes familiar on Indian menus while prawn crackers, spring rolls, sweet & sour dishes, noodles, various types of fried rice and the use of coconut milk are more common in dishes from Thailand or other S.E. Asian countries. On top of that there are many dishes not found in either camp, such as calabash fritters or various unusual soups (bottle gourd, ‘dozen ingredient’ or chicken-shrimp & lime) plus meat dishes with tamarind, fish in coconut milk or the intriguingly named ‘twice cooked fish curry’ or ‘Burmese omelette curry’!

On the many occasions I've been there I've tried various starters, and all have been good. The shrimp & vegetable spring rolls  are of good size with the shrimp & vegetable mix inside giving more body than most, while spicy egg & potato providing an interesting and tasty mix in the samosas. The special assorted fritters are particularly good (my usual now), and much better than the bhajias or pakoras of most Indian restaurants. The starters are usually put on a single plate in the (accurate) anticipation of sharing, and always accompanied by bowls of chilli sauce, tamarind sauce and soy sauce. If you ask, Mr Ally will suggest the proportions of each to mix for a spicy blend to accompany the starters.

For main dishes I've again sampled a good selection. I usually choose lamb with ginger as one, as it is extremely tender lamb in a thick, tasty sauce with just the right amount of ginger to give flavour without it being overpowering. Country-style lamb is another good dish, mildly spicy with coconut based sauce, while chicken curry with tomatoes (pieces of chicken cooked in a spicy tomato based thin curry sauce more akin to Thai curries than Indian), noodles-coconut & chicken (a heap of both soft and crispy noodles with plenty of chicken intermixed, all in the coconut juices in which it had been cooked) ..... I could go on. They're all wonderful. Rice dishes also good -  vegetable rice (Chinese style but more the texture and appearance of rice in Indian restaurants), while the special fried rice has all sorts of bits and pieces in it. All dishes taste very distinct, lively and agreeably flavoursome. And, of course, very fresh as each is freshly prepared.

Prices extremely reasonable (for example, £1.90 or £2.20 for most of the starters, £2.50 for soups, £5.10 for main chicken dishes, £5.50 for main lamb dishes etc. and only £2 for almost a pint - 440ml - of lager) Portions, while not large, were quite adequate. Service friendly and helpful. Toilet a bit basic but who cares - the food was wonderful and value tremendous.

Highly recommended, but unsurprisingly the place is popular (and it must be mentioned in some tourist guides as a number customers seemed to be tourists). They do take bookings though.