Mandalay Bus Canberra

 

The Mandalay Bus featuring George Thaung

On the fringe of Braddon almost as though it has been pushed out by all the gentrification, sits a bright yellow bus that serves Canberra's best after-hours feeds. Mandalay is the place where your good night out in the capital should finish, drawn-in as much by the delicious smell of fried food as the big beats coming out of their sound system.

Their waffle fries - criss-cross cuts of spuds are perfect for holding their array of sauces - are the must-order here. But there are hints of the bus's origins weaving through the spicy Mandalay fried wings or the pork tortilla made with larb or the hearty bowl of Burmese Coconut noodles.

The founding father

Mandalay began life as a caravan in a Civic servo that offered "Fried Mandalay chicken" in 1974 before trading up to a yellow double decker bus in the 1980s. The man inside the bus was Kyaw "George" Thaung and these days you can see his portrait outside the bus wearing a bucket hat celebrating Canberra's Centenary in 2014.

George came from Burma in the 1950s working as a cook and driver in the Burmese Embassy. During Burma's coup in 1962, George got the tip off from Paul Hasluck, a high-ranking minister that there would be trouble so changed his career. George served Burmese food with a "huge smile" that meant he had lots of friends, according to his son Stu who spoke to the ABC about his legendary father. George even received a letter from National Party leader Doug Anthony in 1971 praising a 'marvellous feast' he made them though this was in Anthony's home rather than a Braddon carpark.

Take a break for waffle fries and a quesadilla

George looked after the Yarralumla Woolshed (surviving two floods) which may have been how he came to know so many pollies and future governor generals. But the big yellow bus was his preferred kitchen. He had a reputation for kindness, often feeding those who needed it. One homeless man remembered George's generosity and, after striking it rich in Lightning Ridge, returned to repay him with a bag of opals, according to The Canberra Times.

George built up his business until the 1992 Summernats when he was bashed with a baseball bat and lost an eye. A World War II veteran who kept a gun under the counter, George had seen enough and the iconic bus was left abandoned near Haigh Park for years though he always kept the hawker's licence up to date.

Mandalay Bus's New Millennial Comeback

You can't keep a good food truck down, even if it hasn't been anywhere for 20 years. In 2013 with Canberra about to celebrate 100 years, it was time to bring back the bus. George's son Stu had just been made redundant from AGL and something of his father's late-night kindness called to him.

He found a partner in Andrew Hollands (who had brought some restaurant love to Bruce with Ellacure in the 2010s) and they restored the bus including that smiling portrait of George. George was reportedly delighted, still holding that hawker licence but never gotten around to opening up the bus again. George passed away in 2019 but got to see the bus back in action and even see his portrait shining like a late-night beacon. 

The new menu has been a hit, entwining Burmese recipes through late-night grub like prawn twisters and waffle fries dripping with satay sauce. These days it is Stu who serves up those waffle fries, remembering each customer's name, greeting them like returning friends and gleaming with a smile reminiscent of his father.

How to find Canberra's Mandalay Bus

You'll find the Mandalay bus near Haigh Park at the northern end of Braddon. Some have visited and seen it closed so check Mandalay's Facebook page which is also a good spot to see if they've got events coming up.

This is part of the Local Legends series, which calls out some places that I reckon evoke a unique place or time and really matter to people who live there. They're very subjective and personal so you may not like any of them.