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AsiaOne
07-06-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
A taste of home: Burmese friends open cafe in Bras Basah selling authentic Myanmar cuisine, Lifestyle News
PUBLISHED ON June 07, 2025 2:00 AM By Melissa Teo If you've recently walked past the lane of F&B options at the School of the Arts (SOTA), you may have noticed a new eatery called Avenue'J Cafe. The cafe opened in January this year and specialises in authentic Burmese fare. Owner Andrew Aung, a 33-year-old Burmese-Singaporean, co-founded the business with his family friend Kaung Minn Khant, 25, who too hails from Myanmar and moved to Singapore in 2024. While the restaurant is new to Singapore's food scene, it isn't to Myanmar's. From Myanmar to Singapore Andrew, who became a Singapore citizen in 2013, flew back to Myanmar in 2018 to open Avenue'J's first outlet in Yangon with his family. He explained that when he was living here, he'd spent plenty of time studying in cafes, something that was not as common back in his home country. "I realised the Burmese don't have a cafe culture and I wanted to share that with them," he told us. He added that during that period, Myanmar had liberalised its economy further and the influx of overseas coffee franchise further spurred him to start something of his own. The first outlet opened in 2020 and despite being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the business survived and flourished. "We hit the market pretty well and helped change trends in Myanmar," said Andrew. After its success, Andrew decided to launch a second outlet in 2022 specialising in entremets, which are layered desserts, and pastries. For a long time, he dreamt of opening a branch in Singapore but hesitated as he would have to do so alone. Till he met Kaung. Andrew's aunt and Kaung's mother were high school best friends and would often meet up. It was during one of these get-togethers a year ago that Andrew and Kaung met. As they got to know each other, they realised that they both shared a passion for F&B and decided to become business partners in Singapore as Kaung is pursuing his undergraduate studies here. After four months of hunting for a place to set up shop —which included locations like Duxton, City Hall and Clake Quay — the duo found their current space at the School Of The Arts. Apart from its high footfall and proximity to Dhoby Ghaut and Bencoolen MRT stations, it was also convenient for Kaung, who is a part-time student at the nearby Singapore Management University. He attends a full day of classes on Saturdays and during the rest of the week, he juggles his time with Avenue'J Cafe as well as his family's rice export business, which has an office in Singapore. Nostalgic flavours from home If you visit both Avenue'J's outlets in Myanmar and Singapore, you'd notice that there is a stark difference in their menus. The Myanmar branches sell European-style dishes catered to the locals' interest in foreign cuisine. On the other hand, the Singapore outlet sells Burmese food so that Singaporeans can experience authentic Myanmar fare. The establishment is a cosy one and upon stepping in, you'll be welcomed by the warm lighting, rattan furniture, and walls lined with paintings of landmarks in Myanmar. "Burmese people love rattan," Andrew told AsiaOne with a smile when we visited the cafe on a weekday afternoon. While Myanmar is home to a plethora of dishes, there are some overlaps with other cultures such as Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisines. So when curating the menu for Avenue'J's Singapore branch, Andrew and Kaung wanted to focus on dishes that were more unique to their home country. "We tried to replicate the signature dishes of the country's different regions," said Kaung. "In northern Myanmar, the scenery is beautiful with many mountains, and the weather is cold. In the middle of the country, the weather is hotter with a desert-like climate. The south has more rivers as well as the sea, so there are plenty of beaches, similar to Thailand's climate." There is Shan Kout Swal ($12) which comes from the Shan state of Myanmar in the north where the weather is colder. The dish features soft rice noodles tossed in a savoury sauce that is topped with chicken. A vegetarian option is also available. Mohinga ($15), an aromatic fish noodle soup that's Myanmar's national dish, is found mostly in the southern part of the country thanks to the area's proximity to rivers and the sea. A popular dish in the middle region of Myanmar is Nan Gyi Thoke ($12), a thick rice noodle salad that's paired with chicken curry, boiled egg and fresh herbs. Kaung shared that one of the more important components of this dish is bean powder. "Most of the beans and pulses are grown in the middle region of Myanmar due to the hotter weather," he explained. Kaung added that this also happens to be his favourite dish because while he was born in Yangon which is located in the south, many of his relatives are from the middle region of the country and he grew up eating plenty of Nan Gyi Thoke. While curating the menu, the duo also considered the diverse taste preferences of both their Singaporean and Burmese customers. Prior to opening the cafe, they hosted tasting sessions for friends and family from various cultural backgrounds to gather feedback. With that, they tweaked the flavours of their dishes. "Burmese people love strong spicy flavours but not all Singaporeans can take such spicy food," said Kaung. So, they created spicy and non-spicy options to suit their customers' varying taste palates. If you're new to Burmese food, the pair recommend that you try Mohinga, which also happens to be Andrew's favourite dish. We got to have a taste of it and loved how the soft noodles, crispy fritters and chewy fishcake provided varying textures to the light but aromatic dish. Another dish we sampled is called Lahpet Thoke ($10), a tea leaf salad that can be found throughout Myanmar. The dish consists of a medley of ingredients such as fermented tea leaves, crispy garlic, roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, dried shrimp, shredded cabbage, cherry tomatoes and a dash of lime juice. It was unlike anything we'd ever tasted before — a unique blend of crunch, zest, and heat. The duo explained that the traditional salad is often served to guests at home. As a side nibble, we had Burmese Stuffed Fish Cake ($8) — little handmade balls stuffed with cabbage, crispy garlic and shallots. We washed everything down with a cup of fragrant Ceylon tea and were intrigued to find shreds of milk skin inside the drink, which provided an interesting texture. Avenue'J Cafe will soon be introducing a weekly menu as well as some new dishes. We were invited to sample a plate which featured dried lamb meat paired with rice, egg and crackers. The savoury, chewy strips of lamb were extremely addictive, and we couldn't stop reaching for more. The ups and down of F&B While business was slow at the start, it has picked up in recent months, said the owners, and Avenue'J Cafe see a good mix of Singaporean and Burmese customers every day. Despite this, Andrew and Kaung admit that running a business not just in Singapore, but also Myanmar, comes with its own set of challenges. In Singapore, cost is one key factor, especially when it comes to rental, operational expenses and product imports. As their aim is to serve authentic Burmese fare in Singapore, the duo had to meticulously source for fresh, authentic ingredients that would do justice to their food and drinks. "It's been hard for us to find the right suppliers for some ingredients, for instance, the noodles," Andrew explained. Importing Burmese coffee beans for their in-house brews is also expensive, added Kaung. As hiring employees in Singapore is costly, they have fewer staff here than they do at Avenue'J Cafe's Myanmar branches. With a lean team, Kaung shared that the cafe struggles with the workload during busier times of the day. However, Andrew revealed that back in Myanmar, they too face challenges when it comes to manpower and sourcing for ingredients. As the menu there is European-themed, they have to import various ingredients that are not readily found in Myanmar, such as cheese and syrups. However, "supply chain issues" make this difficult and at times, expensive. There are different kinds of manpower problems there too. "After training our staff in Myanmar, a lot of them resign shortly after because they move overseas or have to serve in the army," Andrew explained. This leaves the team scrambling to find a replacement. Something else that's also hard to do in Myanmar is increase menu prices, which affects profits when imports get expensive. "The imported products increase in prices due to the exchange rate but within the country, we cannot increase the prices in the menu too much because it'll be too costly for our customers," Kaung elaborated. Despite the challenges, Andrew and Kaung feel that the past few months of being new cafe owners here have been mostly plain sailing. "When opening an F&B establishment in Singapore, there is a set of criteria you have to follow. Just do that and things will be smooth," Andrew said. [[nid:699477]] melissateo@ F&BFood and Drinksnew openingsMYANMAR This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.
Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Concert review: Young musicians from Ventus, Band Academy and OMM flex in weekend concerts
Wind orchestra Ventus and Band Academy Singapore played a tribute to all things Singaporean. PHOTO: BENJAMIN CHIAU Tutti – An SG60 Symphonic Celebration Ventus & Band Academy Singapore School of the Arts Concert Hall May 30, 7.30pm Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
San Francisco Chronicle
17-05-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
I got sober and learned accountability. California let me off the hook
'Your car is still at the scene, and your son is at the station. Neither is in one piece, and neither can be released to you tonight.' My mom muted the call. 'Smart-ass cop,' she mumbled — still taking my side, somehow, when everything was clearly my fault and everyone knew it but her. I was 34. Strung out, still half-drunk, barefoot in a police station in Santa Rosa, shaking under the weight of it all. That night should've been a wake-up call. Instead, it was one more summons I ignored. I grew up in San Francisco, took BART to high school every day — got off at Daly City when the School of the Arts was still on the San Francisco State campus. My dad, a public defender from the Mission District, always wore a Giants cap and a Niners jacket no matter the season. He believed in civic duty with the kind of quiet conviction that could make a dinner table feel like a courtroom. His passion for serving his community resonated with me. But I was too lost to live it. The worst of my addiction unfolded after my first attempt at sobriety in San Francisco. I managed six months off alcohol in the Castro, but I couldn't let go of the prescriptions — Adderall, Klonopin, anything to keep me from feeling too much. I was a loud, misbehaved kid in the '90s, quickly diagnosed with ADHD and medicated before I even knew what it meant (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). I came out as gay young but still kept parts of myself hidden. By high school, I was performing in professional musicals and plays while sneaking off to West Oakland for warehouse raves with my older DJ boyfriend, chasing ecstasy in every sense. After college and a few years in New York City on the Broadway fast track, I never stopped to face what it meant when I eventually lost the thing I loved most: performing. Rejection hit hard. And without that outlet, drinking took over. Party drugs were easy to find in gay nightlife, and eventually, I found meth. Eventually, I was spiraling in a 600-square-foot cabin in Guerneville — deep in psychosis, out of people to call. I had burned every bridge in the Bay. There was nobody left to help. My dad wouldn't even let me stay with him. That's when I knew this was bad. Really bad. I begged the only real person still left in my orbit: my dealer, supplier, sometimes-pimp. He knew if I stayed, I'd die. And so did I. Leaving the Bay Area wasn't part of a recovery plan — it was survival. I didn't know if I'd get sober in Los Angeles, but I knew I couldn't do it in San Francisco. Too many ghosts. Too many chances to backslide. But L.A. just brought more of the same chaos with a new ZIP code. I ended up in the hospital for an emergency detox, then shuttled directly to Van Ness Recovery House. That was when things finally started to change. I found a foothold in early recovery, stumbled through the awkward rewiring of my brain and began learning how to sit with discomfort instead of trying to erase it. I got a job in Hollywood. I built a life with rhythm, with purpose — something resembling a glow-up, even if it didn't always feel that way. Like a kid learning how to stand upright without a hand to hold, I was finally moving through the world without armor. After I got sober in 2016 and finally stabilized, I started watching the mailbox. There was a quiet hope: Maybe now, I could actually be of service. Jury duty. Maybe it was the idea that I could finally be trusted to show up. To participate in something collective. To contribute in a way that wasn't performative. It meant I'd made it to the other side — not just surviving but becoming someone the state might count on. But the envelopes never came. No thick white paper with the state seal. No group number to call. I figured maybe the system had moved on. Or maybe it still knew better than to count on me. Then one finally arrived. And on the same day, my county rolled out a redesigned digital jury portal — sleek, mobile-friendly, chatbot-enabled. No courthouse. No bailiff. No crowd of strangers with crossword puzzles and bad coffee. Just a browser tab and a nightly check-in to see if my number was up. You do not need to report to the courthouse tomorrow. Thank you for your service. I never even put on pants. There are aspects of the post-COVID world I'm grateful for — remote work, telehealth and a reduced expectation of small talk. But this version of jury duty left me wondering what, exactly, I had participated in. Because the truth is, I was a little disappointed. Not because I wanted to sit in a courthouse all week. But because, for once, I could have. And just as I got there, the system stopped asking people like me to show up in person. That's the paradox of digitized civic life: more efficient, more accessible — and more anonymous. No clerk at check-in. No bailiff calling names. No communal eye-roll as someone tries to get out of service by claiming psychic abilities. Just a solitary ritual: refresh and wait. I do wonder what gets lost when civic rituals become solo acts. The collective misery was part of the point — each of us surrendering a day to be part of something larger. It wasn't glamorous, but it was shared. My dad passed away just before the pandemic. He'd have been proud that I finally got my act together enough to be summoned — let alone follow through. Maybe this is what progress looks like. Maybe an online jury system is what we need in a state with 39 million people and eternal parking nightmares. But I can't help thinking democracy, like recovery, works best in community. Not just in rules followed, but in presence felt. A few weeks ago, I served. Not in the way I expected. But in a way that still meant something. I was proud of the bare minimum because for me, showing up used to be impossible. Nick Dothée is a writer who grew up in the Bay Area and now lives in Los Angeles. He's working on a memoir about addiction, recovery and learning how to live without escaping.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Binghamton U's arts festival highlights student talent
BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY (WIVT/WBGH) – Binghamton University is preparing to showcase the artistry and creativity of its students. The university's School of the Arts is holding its second annual Festival of the Arts across two days this week. The event features the art work of students within the Art and Design, Art History, Cinema, Creative Writing, Music and Theater departments. There will be music, theater, dance and improv performances, hands-on activities for children and adults and plenty of visual art on display. School of the Arts Founding Director Christopher Robbins says the talent of B-U students has been under-appreciated over the years. 'I've come from a life of working at different art schools all over the world and I have to say that we've got fantastic staff and faculty and students and equipment and studios. So, just making sure people realize what's already here and that it is accessible,' Robbins said. The festival kicks off Wednesday night from 7:30 to 9:30 with a variety of short bite-sized performances. Friday it runs from 3 to 9 with full-length performances, films, projection mapping, and open studios. There will be free food and free parking in Lot D next to the giant School of the Arts sign. Muriel Bowser joins Trump to announce 2027 NFL draft on the National Mall 'Please reconsider': New Zealand airport to remove huge 'Hobbit' sculptures after more than a decade WATCH: Driver rescued as cab of semi dangles above Kentucky interstate Binghamton University students push back on antisemitism accusations Binghamton U's arts festival highlights student talent Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rochester teacher in quarter finals for ‘America's Favorite Teacher'
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A teacher from the School of the Arts is in the quarter-finals for the 'America's Favorite Teacher' contest. Rob Arrendell, a science teacher for SOTA, became a quarter-finalist for the national competition. According to the bio on the contest's website, he wrote, 'Teaching allows me to use a subject area to positively affect lives. A mission for helping youth mature and grow in their gifts and dreams.' If he wins, famed scientist Bill Nye will hold an assembly at the school. Arrendell would also win $25,000, be featured in Reader's Digest, and get a trip to Hawaii. The Rochester City School District community can vote for Arrendell to win by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
