Mama Lan

7 Reviews on “Mama Lan”

• Rita Rito

  Really liked my experience at mama lan. Food was amazing, the staff is super nice and as well as the place itself. I definitely recommend all the noodles dishes and dumplings!

  July 19, 2020, 5:22 pm

  Log in to Reply
• Khaane Ka Jaankaar

  Mama lan ka Khaana sahi me Bada majedaar hai…. Bahut hi Maja aaya yaha khaana Khaa kar ..sahi me Umeed se badhya Khaana tha yaha ka. Aao ek baar

  May 28, 2019, 11:40 pm

  Log in to Reply
• Cook & Pour

  This is for the site in Dalston. Tried to add restaurant, but no join – so hopefully this good experience applies to Brixton too!Once again, Dalston represents with another foodie haven to rival the more established barrios of nearby Spitalfields and Shoreditch. On the low key bit of Kingsland Road before you hit the stations, its bustling market and shops, Mama Lan quietly occupies a cute cafe offering street food from Beijing.When most talk about food from this area, they group it as Chinese. They rarely refer to regions, especially specifically its capital well not that I have seen much of anyway. So of course on a Sunday chill session it grabbed my interest on the walk up to Dalston for some shopping. Mama Lan in Dalston is one of four locations, two east, two south. The website talks of handmade dumplings, doodle soup and street snacks being its core, hailing from Beijing. I was intrigued.As a solo diner, this spot works well. Dining alone can always be a little daunting, as you can look like you are a bit of a billy no mates, depending on the kind of place you visit. During the quiet service (Sunday afternoon), this is perfect. Single diners get comfortable, couples quietly share dishes and Deliveroo couriers come in and out like revolving doors (obviously popular for delivery).Having decided to have an alcohol free day, I opted to start with their cocktail of lemonade with rose. It was really refreshing, although a tad sweet. A glass like jug with lashings of juice over chunky ice cubes. I ended up having two. To eat, I had their spicy chicken wings, stewed seaweed and beef & spring onion dumplings. All were cooked quickly and tasted good. The only observation I would have is that the seaweed sauce was very intense, almost like vinegar. Could perhaps be toned down a little.My bill came to a little over 22, which I guess is decent for three small dishes and two drinks. Really cute dining experience, will go again. cookandpour.co.uk

  October 10, 2016, 5:18 pm

  Log in to Reply
• Hannah Kacary | That Adventurer

  Mama lan gets extremely busy so it’s best to arrive early so as not to be disappointed. We visited one Sunday lunch time and opted for a selection of treats to try.The chicken noodle salad was delicious an I could happily eat plate after plate. Unfortunately, the dumplings were not as impressive – although still tasty. They seemed a bit too waterlogged and weren’t as flavoursome as I’d hoped for.It also seemed a bit expensive when compared to other offerings in Brixton Village and we were a little shocked by the bill when it arrived. thatadventurer.co.uk

  September 29, 2015, 6:29 pm

  Log in to Reply
• Feeding Franklin

  As far as cupboard-like restaurants in Brixton go, Mama Lan is up there. There are two little tables inside, and a few outside, with a mini kitchen and practically no storage. So its a miracle really that they manage to churn out such consistently delicious food at such a high volume.It came about as a supper club, named Mama Lan after owner Ning Mas mother, who used taught her to cook her grandads authentic Beijing recipes. She was so successful she acquired a permanent site in the market and here we are!We stopped in late-ish on a Wednesday and had to wait for a table, finally squeezing in next to a very loud guy having a shouty conversation with his poor date. I gave her a few sympathetic glances but she didnt seem to notice. We ordered soft drinks along with prawn and water chestnut dumplings and some pork dumplings. The menu is tiny (it would need to be given the size of the kitchen) and the premise is fresh, local food, some of its from elsewhere in the market, which I love. We also got some beef noodle soup to share, which is pure love and comfort in a bowl.The broth is dark, rich and meaty, with plenty of spice from the chillies and big chunks of tender beef. Its a tough cut thats been cooked for hours, it falls apart in your mouth and is so bloody beefy. God its delicious. Soft egg noodles make it a simple and perfect meal in a bowl.Dumplings are good too, they taste fresh and arent stodgy or sticky. Again, simple and lovely, and normally between 20 and 30 for two, for maybe a few dishes and dependent drinks obviously. Definitely one of my favourites in Brixton Village. Ning Ma recently opened a second branch in Clapham, testament to her success and popularity, and hopefully shell continue to expand. With all the drama in Brixton at the moment, with shopowners being forced out, I hope Mama Lan survives. feedingfranklin.co.uk

  September 28, 2015, 4:31 am

  Log in to Reply
• MyTucker

  A tiny venue in Brixton Market and you sometimes need to queue for a table, often to be seated on stools in the market passageway, but the simply prepared dim sum, noodle broths and great chicken wings highly worth the inconvenience.

  August 21, 2015, 7:27 pm

  Log in to Reply
• Joe Lane

  Super dumplings, thanks

  August 17, 2015, 5:23 pm

  Log in to Reply