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My friend C., a fellow San Leandran, came across the Hinn Tha Bistro and we all knew we had to try it. Mike and I had gone to a Burmese restaurant while we were dating with less than stellar results - but it probably had more to do with my limited palate at the time (yes, it was even more limited) - and I was ready to give Burmese food another try. So we headed there on a Sunday night in August 2003 with our friends C&B. Hinn Tha occupies a narrow space next to a hair salon on Park Street in Alameda. It has a small open kitchen and a nice deck with a fireplace and a view of the downstairs dining room and kitchen. This proved fortuitous for us and our daughter; there was nobody else upstairs so she was able to walk around and play without bothering anyone. If they light the fireplace in winter, I think it will be a very cozy place to have dinner. Hinn Tha's menu is very brief; it offers four or five basic dishes in your choice of chicken, shrimp or veggies with fried rice or garlic noodles. It also offers a few salads and soups, some Chinese dishes and a few "palatas" (grilled flour flatcakes). At $6-8 per dish, the food is really a bargain. I ordered the passion chicken with garlic noodles, and was quite pleased with it. It wasn't haute cuisine, but it had a nice flavor and it was a great summer dish, sweet and light. I think Mike had the mango chicken which wasn't as sweet as the passion chicken and I didn't like as much - but he did. B. had the chicken curry which everyone liked. We all shared a palata with chicken curry and this was definitely our favorite part of the meal; we all really liked it. The garlic noodles that came with our meals were pretty good as well. Mika, in particular, had a great time eating and playing with the noodles. She loves any food she can feed herself. Hinn Tha doesn't offer any desserts which is just as well, as it's just down the street from Tucker's Ice Cream Parlor, which makes a perfect end to any evening. All in all we liked Hinn Tha and would go again. Hinn Tha Bistro 1345 Park St. Alameda, CA (510) 865-8338 http://www.hinntha.com