Interview: Jadim Laphai, Owner of Shwe Letyar Sushi & Burmese

Salt Lake City hosts a flourishing food scene of culinary diversity. How does a restaurant get itself to stand out? You don’t need to overcomplicate, according to female entrepreneur Jadim Laphai, who insists on good ingredients and good prices. She’s the owner and operator of Shwe Letyar Sushi & Burmese, a gem of a walkup counter in SLC’s Woodbine Food Hall. 

Shwe Letyar Sushi & Burmese, in SLC's Woodbine Food Hall.

Laphai grew up in a small village in Myanmar’s northernmost Kachin state, where hiking a footpath for eight hours was the only way to reach the nearest town. From how she tells it, growing up in a village, nine out of ten people learn to cook - and things are very farm-to-table.

“Everything is from the garden; from the farm,” Laphai explains. She was raised on her mother’s cooking (who supported five children on her own after her husband’s passing). The restaurant owner recalls recipes with sweet potatoes prepared in different forms and shapes. Rice was also a staple - to this day, it’s Laphai’s favorite food!

This nature-to-table background shines through in the freshness and quality of Shwe Letyar’s menu. Laphai says it’s crucial “to be healthy for the people who come to eat the food. [For] people spending money… it’s not just yummy food; every bite is healthy, simply affordable, and delicious!” 

Jadim Laphai with a picture guide to Shwe Letyar's Burmese specialties.

The menu reflects an upbringing in Myanmar as well as influences from Malaysia, where Laphai lived as a young adult. While there, she fell in love twice. Once was with her now-husband (they have three kids now). The second time love struck: Sushi.  

Sushi rolls make up one half of the menu: cooked, raw, and combo rolls, as well as tempura and veggie options. Like many Americans, I’m fairly familiar with sushi. Burmese fare? Not so much. That side of the menu includes stir fry and rice bowls, Burmese samosas, glutinous rice pyramids, and a fermented tea leaf salad. 

Laphai explains to me that those Burmese menu items are commonplace in Myanmar - “Like pizza, almost!” But in America, it’s not as easy to find these dishes. The tea leaf salad is a real draw for people who are familiar with it, says Laphai. “I have some customers drive 45 minutes to get it.” Laphai told me she imports her tea leaves directly from her home country since they’re not easy to purchase or cultivate here. 

It’s inevitable: I absolutely have to try the salad. On Laphai’s recommendation, I also get the chicken stir fry and the Boba Shwe Tea. (See review after the cut!) I’m delighted to recommend Shwe Letyar, a delicious venue operated by industrious business-owner Jadim Laphai. To anyone reading this, she says: 

“I want to say a big thank you to all the support, and welcome to all the new customers!” 

Author & Jadim Laphai.

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REVIEW

Fermented Tea Leaf Salad.

Fermented tea leaf salad: This was unique to anything I’ve ever tasted! The salad was a medley of puffed, crisp soybeans, crunchy slivers of fried garlic, fried peanuts, zippy sweet red peppers and toasted sesame seeds. What tied it all together was, of course, the fermented tea leaf - the flavor profile was an interplay of tangy, pungent pickled-ness, combined with the fragrant undertones of fresh tea. Overall this dish packed a major punch, served with a mound of fluffy white rice.

Chicken Stir Fry.

Chicken stir fry: The plate came out piping hot, and delivered on Laphai’s promises of fresh and healthy ingredients. Chicken, tofu, and vibrant spears of vegetables sat steaming on a bed of delicate, glassy rice noodles. Light and pleasantly savory, this ample portion of noodle goodness was flanked by a silver cup of tart and spicy chili-oil - I loved the flavor so much that I almost drank the cup whole. 

Boba Shwe Tea.

Boba Shwe Tea: Laphai offered her signature boba drink. After living in Los Angeles, I’ve had a lot of boba. I’m pleased to say that this drink is a rich, milky sweet tea with boba pearls just the right texture. With enough ice to keep things refreshing but not watered down, this drink was a real winner in my book.

Verdict: I’m enchanted. I’ll be returning for the stir fry and tea leaf salad, but ALSO to try the other food on the menu. Word to the wise: Laphai tells me that on Sundays, sometimes the restaurant offers a special - Mohinga, a lemongrass-and-fish-sauce dish that’s considered by many to be the national dish of Myanmar. 

5/5 STARS 

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