There are certain restaurants in L.A. that seem as if they were lifted from their country of origin and casually planted in a random Southern California suburb. Yoma Myanmar is one of them, as the restaurant could as soon be a neighborhood spot in Yangon as in Monterey Park. This means that the space is extremely simple — a few small tables in a small room with a low ceiling — but that seems appropriate when sampling Burmese curries rarely found outside of the streets of Southeast Asia. We're quite happy to eat in any setting where the tea-leaf salad is as pungent and garlicky as this one is, and where there are enough interesting noodle dishes that it's worth inventing excuses to go out to lunch. There are a few other excellent Burmese options in L.A. right now — including Daw Yee Myanmar around the corner — but Yoma's consistently stellar food and comprehensive menu make it our favorite. —James Gordon

713 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, 91755; (626) 280-8655, no website.

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