Eskala Resort

Imagine a vast and empty, sweeping beach, fringed with swaying coconut palms, drenched in the golden sun.

Too much beach? Then enjoy those views from the huge freeform pool set in lush tropical gardens in the middle of a coconut grove. Get all this and more when you check in at Eskala Resort in Ngwe Saung.

This little beach resort town in the south west of Myanmar can be reached by taxi from Yangon in a day. Travel through endless farm lands until the landscape changes and the road climbs and twists (complete with stunning views) and then suddenly you’re at one of those beaches that make the journey worthwhile.

Eskala Resort is located right on the beach, far enough from the little pockets of beach sellers and the ‘town centre’ (note: it’s really more of a tourist strip) to feel like you are a million miles from anywhere but close enough to pop out for a change of scenery if you fancy it.

Get a room with a sea view and wake up to birdsong before heading down to breakfast to let the genuinely friendly staff work their magic.

Warning (before you read any further): leaving this little slice of paradise will be hard.

The Vegan Food

Breakfast is served in the breezy open air restaurant and vegans are in for a real treat. There are western options of roasted tomatoes, beans, and hash browns with tropical fruit and cereals and soy milk. But the local food options are the most intriguing (and delicious).

We ate fresh spicy noodle salads made with rice noodles tossed in sour tamarind juice with a light soy sauce, chickpea flour, fresh coriander, dried chilli flakes and shallots. Crunchy pieces of deep fried rice flour and dried pea cracker add exquisite texture to this already addictive dish.

Also available was the turmeric stewed ‘si hta min’ or yellow sticky rice, served with crushed peanuts and salted crushed sesame seeds, it’s a tasty and comforting dish to eat and hard to pass up if you see it.

For a breakfast dessert treat there were a range of rice flour based sweets all made with coconut milk or beans and all delicious (also hard for some of us to pass by). Chewy rice flour pancakes, sweet beans in a rice flour donut, sticky rice… your sweet tooth will be indulged here for sure.

Vegan guests (or visitors to Ngwe Saung) should definitely make a reservation for lunch or dinner at ‘Village House’, Eskala’s garden restaurant serving nutritionally balanced, traditional Rakhine state food made with ingredients straight from their organic vegetable garden.

We had some of the best meals of our trip here, eating vegan versions of local food packed full of fresh organic vegetables.

Imagine a richly spiced curry full of tiny potatoes that taste like they’ve been out of the ground for less than an hour. Served with freshly picked bottle gourd tops cooked in garlic, stir fried dark green watercress and green chillies smashed with salt and garlic accompanied by raw vegetables. Or how about a light but flavoursome bottle gourd soup and a soothing pumpkin dish, plus a white fungus salad that is fresh with lime and green chilli. Or white pumpkin fritters dipped in a sweet, sour and chilli laden tamarind sauce? Tempted?

Dining at Village House offers a chance to try ingredients cooked in ways that are intriguing and delicious, like a sprouted bean soup or nourishing kailen leaves with fresh coconut and garlic.

Desserts follow the traditional theme, expect dishes like banana cooked in sweet coconut milk where the sweet stewed banana is the perfect accompaniment to the thick sweet coconut warm cream.

After dessert, (surprisingly for us), we were presented with a plate of ‘laphet’ or fermented tea leaf salad to aid digestion. Unlike at the other places we sampled the national dish of Myanmar, all of the ingredients were separate. Raw vegetables are selected, some of the fermented tea leaf paste (which resembles a kind of delicious pesto) is added and then a small nibble of a whole raw clove of garlic is taken. It’s deliciously tasty and wholly addictive.

Guests can enjoy this kind of food, using seasonal organic produce and served traditional family style (including getting to eat with spoons and forks made from coconut wood), whilst sat in the shade (or under the stars). It was absolutely one of the food highlights of our trip.

The Vegan Essentials

In room amenities are the resorts own brand so we weren’t able to tell if they were vegan, pillows were already synthetic, top marks from us as no feathers are ever needed for a good night’s sleep in our world.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

Check in to Eskala Resort for a peaceful beach escape where the vegan food will be an education about the food of Myanmar as well an exciting adventure for your tastebuds. Don’t miss the exceptional dining experience at Village House where the fresh organic ingredients and traditional cooking methods are a particular treat.

Eskala Resort
Ngwesaung Beach Myanmar,
Pathein 11221,
Myanmar

Telephone: +95 9 977 830540
Email: reservation@youreskala.com
Cost From: £95 / $130 (May 2018)