Profile

On a nondescript block of apartment buildings, Café Mingala's narrow storefront is easy to overlook, but the college students and older residents who make it through the door find its interior and its Burmese dishes quite memorable. Covering both walls to the ceiling are murals with scenes of various cities in Myanmar—Burma's current name. Pink tablecloths cover the tables and banquettes lined along the very deep interior. Don't expect much heat from the dishes at this homey place, even those the menu has marked with the spicy sign. Appetizers are primarily those of the battered-and-fried variety. Of these, the shrimp rolls and the golden triangles, slightly spicy potatoes encased in thin shells, are the most memorable. It's in the entrees that you can most clearly see the ingredients and techniques that Burmese cuisine shares with that of its neighbors, especially China, India, and Thailand. Mo-Goke Pork, named for the Mogok region in northern Myanmar, is an addictive stew of fork-tender tenderloin served in a gravylike sauce of tamarind and other tangy seasonings. If only more pot roasts could be this good. Some of the stir fries can be a little unwieldy, with large, barely cooked vegetables; the curries, carefully arranged salads, and primarily meat dishes are better bets. — John D. Rambow

The lunch special, available daily, is $6.95 for soup or salad, an entrée, and yellow rice.

Mo-goke pork, $14.95; assorted appetizers delight, $8.95