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Time Out says 17 Users say Rate it
The best thing that has come out of the rebranding of the old Granville Arcade to the yuppie-sounding Brixton Village Market has been the unprecedented wave of interesting, independent eateries cultivated within. The small shop units and ramshackle appearance of the covered arcade already had the right sort of bohemian look.
But now on a Thursday or Friday night the place is heaving with a mix of young local Brixtonites and visiting gastro-tourists, who glow with the satisfaction of finding Japanese okonomiyaki or freshly made Italian pasta in one of London's less prosperous postcodes.
Cynics might brand Brixton Village Market as gentrification by 'outsiders', but to dismiss it in this way is unfair on the passionate, creative individuals - many of them Brixton residents - who have opened businesses here. In a time where soul-crushingly conformist commercial complexes like One New Change and the behemoths that are the Westfield shopping centres creep all over the capital, the truly vibrant nature of the Village is to be celebrated, not scorned.
Mama Lan, one of the newest arrivals, takes up a prime corner site near the hopping Agile Rabbit (the location of fabulous live music on Thursday evenings). It's a proper family-run operation, headed by Ning Ma and her mother. The rest of the family chip in; on our visit, Ma's father was doing some of the cooking. Hailing from Beijing, the family ran a London supper club serving traditional north-eastern Chinese dishes before opening this café.
The menu is short, with around eight small dishes - three of which are the speciality of jiaozi (dumplings). Other dishes are either salads (sesame and seaweed; wood ear fungus, celery and boiled peanuts) or 'street snacks'.
From the latter, chilli oil chicken had good flavour but was scarce on the chilli oil; the shredded meat was quite dry, a shame considering the source of the bird (Ginger Pig). Intriguing deep-fried 'vegetable dough balls' - a bit on the greasy side - resembling small round bhajias, also curried favour with their umami flavour and a curious note of cinnamon.
But what of the dumplings? We were seduced by the Facebook photos of fat, glistening dumplings with their bronzed, crisp bottoms, but were disappointed by the ones set down in front of us, which really needed an extra minute or two of pan-frying for that essential deep golden-crust.
Best of three styles of dumplings was the beef and carrot, which packed a savoury hit; dill and tofu was interestingly grassy, but low on tofu; pork and cabbage seemed to lack any seasoning at all, an anomaly, perhaps, considering the quality of the beef version.
Chinkiang black rice vinegar, provided in bottles on the table, lended the dumplings some much-needed moistness; a great potsticker dumpling should always carry the risk of deliciously scalding juices ejecting upon first bite, but these were disappointingly devoid of such danger.
Flavourwise, there is some great potential in Mama Lan; we like the sound of the hearty Chinese stews planned for cooler weather. But in terms of execution, there's work to be done before we can wholeheartedly recommend anyone making a special journey. Brixton Village Market will undoubtedly lure voracious eaters anyway, but whether Mama Lan's food is good enough to ensure repeat custom isn't clear.
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See all restaurants near Mama LanComments & ratings 5/5 (Average of 17 ratings)
Freshness, tingly taste sensations of loveliness and a live food preparation show guarantees packed tables and friendly vibes. I just hope Mama Lan's increasing popularity doesn't erode its special atmosphere.
i'm secretly enjoying your ridiculous 2 star rating in the hope that it decreases the amount of people i will need to queue behind next time.
Went for lunch at this place and loved it. The tofu soup noodles were perfect for a cold winter's day with fresh ingredients and the perfect amount of spice on the broth. A great place for a quick bite.
Amazing food. The dumplings were perfectly addictive and the vegetable balls were divine. I think Time Out have been out voted here and need to add some more stars.
I love mama lan
So excuse me time out but you ain't good food tasters
Don't u go on about stuff that aint true....got it?
Don't normally write reviews but felt i had to after reading this one - not sure where this guy went. Had a great dinner there last night - the noodles and tender beef in particular were the best I've had and the pork dumplings were perfect. I'd recommend going down and making your own mind up.
This revoew does not give Mama Lan justice - the food is amazing - I cant wait to go back.
I agree with you Beecee, I think Timeout needs to get their taste buds checked!
I went there 2 weeks ago and coming from a Chinese background, I thought these were authentic as they can get. These hand made dumplings packed a punch and was full of flavour. The tables had vinegar and soy for dipping sauces which were an excellent compliment to the dishes.
Even though the wait for the food took longer than expected...it was well worth the wait. You can see your dumplings being made fresh in front of your eyes! Can't get more authentic than that...
This review is so far off the delicious home cooked food we sampled today it's ridiculous.
The dumplings were crisp, moist filled and packed with flavour. The shredded chicken was a moist delight with a real chilli punch, the crisp Paratha-like bread was perfect for soaking up the juice. Another star of the meal was the poached Peanut salad with a delicate star anise flavour.
Timeout needs to review this again...possibly with a new reporter!
This place is a charming little find packed with bags of flavour and lovely smiles. Excellent value, too. We should be encouraging new businesses, not slamming them within hours of opening.
Weird. We went last weekend, the chicken was moist and the dumplings did squirt juice everywhere when we bit in. Either you were unlucky, or they've fixed the things you didn't like.
Not at all sporting Time Out reviewer person. Not cool. Just go and enjoy it. The food will speak for itself and the staff are lovely. Great lightbulbs too.
They'd only been open a couple of days when TimeOut reviewed there - give them a chance, TimeOut!
Went here last week and thought it was fantastic - friendly staff and great dumplings.
Your review is extremely harsh considering how new the restaurant was at the time. 5 of us went tonight and all really enjoyed the food, especially the vegetable dough balls which were in no way too greasy. The dumplings were great and service was excellent.
Might be worth giving new family owned restaurants a chance in future before ripping them to shreds.
I've just been and have to say your review didn't reflect my experience.
I thought the pork and cabbage dumplings were lovely and good value with just enough ginger to brighten the flavours nicely. I also enjoyed the seaweed and toasted sesame, a new experience for me having been brought up on the misleading-named crispy fried seaweed (cabbage in reality).
I suggest you go back and try it again now that it's been running longer than the 2 days you clearly allowed before reviewing it.
Wow – pretty savage review. How long would they have been open for? Loving the tables stacked outside and are those paint cans on the floor?!
Seems contradictory but the hubby and I went for lunch last Saturday and thought the food was really good.
The pork and beef dumplings were both very tasty and we thought pretty well made – crispy base and moist enough filling. I heard the next table gushing how they were close to Din Tai Fung’s legendary dumplings, I won’t go as far as that but then again DTF’s has star so wouldn’t be comparing like for like in any case. Didn’t try the chicken or vegetable balls but the slow cooked beef was probably the best dish we had. Good quality beef and the vinaigrette thing set the whole dish off. Service was pitched perfect, Ling, I’m guessing Mama Lan’s daughter was delightful and has a wicked laugh.
They seemed busy enough on the weekend. Hopefully they’ve sorted their teething problems out and find some sort of consistency (clearly we had a different experiences) because I think it going to be a great little local café.
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