The hot Burmese joint has expanded south of the river for the first time
Dan Anton and Zaw Mahesh, the founders of one of London’s few Burmese restaurants have been on a mission to build up the cuisine’s base in the city. Lahpet originally opened in Shoreditch in 2018, introducing many of us to its eponymous dish, a tea leaf salad popular in Myanmar, as well as the likes of coconut chicken noodles and mohinga fish stew. A second site opened in Covent Garden in 2022 and this summer saw the arrival of Lahpet Larder in to Bermondsey, the group’s first site south of the river, and named after the area’s historic nickname, ‘London’s larder’.
Eat This
The Lahpet Larder menu is structured slightly differently – by salads, meat, fish and veg rather than the size of the plates – so it’s better set up for sharing. Start by snacking on the sweet potato & shan tofu puffs and the sweetcorn & split pea fritters (both of which come with punchy dipping sauces) while you figure out the rest of your order.
The Rakhine salmon ceviche is heavier on green mango and papaya than it is on the fish, so it’s more like a salad than a ceviche, but it’s really fresh and a good one to dip in and out of between some of the richer dishes. The veggie options are good here; both snacks and most of the salads are already veggie, and you can also get the tea leaf salad without dried shrimp. We expected a little more sourness from the sour curry but it was a tasty bowl nonetheless and laden with mushrooms, okra, morning glory, mooli and bamboo shoot.
The braised aubergine, jammy and rich with masala spice and spiked with crispy curry leaves, was our dish of the day, though the flaky bubble waffle paratha – yes it’s the dough crossover we never knew we needed – ripped and dipped into a thick Burmese milk tea espuma ran it very close. Defo save room for that one.
Drink This
There are some great local beers on the drinks list, a nice nod to Bermondsey’s brewing heritage, and there’s a concise selection of cocktails made with Burmese ingredients. The Lahpet Margarita, made with betel leaf tequila, jaggery, lime and Himalayan pink salt, slipped down a treat but both the Raspberry & Kaffir Lime Sour and the Mar Tea Ni, made with pickled tea oil-washed vodka, also sound promising.
Why Go
Though only open a matter of weeks, Lahpet Larder seems to be a big hit with the people of Bermondsey – the place quickly filled up on our Tuesday night visit so there’s a great, buzzy atmosphere. If you’ve never had Burmese food before, Lahpet is a fantastic entry point into the country’s cuisine, and if you have, there are lots of new dishes worth trying on the Lahpet Larder menu. Living up to its larder name, the restaurant is also stocked with both homemade and imported products to take home.
Key Information
Address | 39-45 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
For more information | lahpet.co.uk