Teni East Kitchen, moving a half mile, sees new, tasty possibilities with larger space

"One of the things that Tiyo Shibabaw is looking forward to the most about moving her Oakland-based Burmese restaurant, Teni East Kitchen, to a new location in March is space for a steamer. "It's a bigger kitchen," she says. "The kitchen we currently have is very small, I would love to offer steamed vegetables and seafood." In fact, whole steamed fish is likely to be one of the new additions to the menu at Teni East Kitchen once it moves from its current location"

"Shibabaw, who's originally from Ethiopia (her family still runs eateries there), cut her teeth as general manager at Burma Superstar before launching Teni East in 2016. She was happy to stay in Oakland, even though she's had tempting offers of space over the hills into Contra Costa County. "It's a happy medium without moving out of Oakland," she says. "It's a minimum disruption for both our customers and staff. It is very exciting for me.""

"Shibabaw's menu offers Burmese flavors with a California point of view. Her Burmese tea leaf salad, for example, is made with kale, as well as the traditional tea leaves and nuts. In Burma (officially known as Myanmar), the salad is "not eaten with vegetables and greens," Shibabaw says. "It's eaten as a roadside snack with tea. It's kind of like an energy burst because it does have caffeine. But here we add a little twist, and it goes well with the baby kale.""

Tiyo Shibabaw is moving her Oakland-based Burmese restaurant Teni East Kitchen to 3770 Piedmont Avenue in March. The new kitchen is larger and will include space for a steamer, enabling steamed vegetables, seafood, and whole steamed fish to be added to the menu. Shibabaw trained as general manager at Burma Superstar and opened Teni East in 2016; her family still runs eateries in Ethiopia. Teni East blends Burmese flavors with a California point of view, such as tea leaf salad made with baby kale and traditional tea leaves and nuts. The restaurant has received praise from the San Francisco Chronicle and the Michelin Guide. Shibabaw chose to remain in Oakland to minimize disruption for customers and staff.

Read at The Oaklandside