Mama Lan - Central Dr, Hornchurch

This is a traditional chinese supper club, ran by the friend of a friend. We went a couple of weeks back and... NOM! I had read articles about supper clubs and everyone stressed that it may not be perfect, or timely, or well organised, or anything particularly professional. Well, Mama Lan's is all of those things and I was very impressed. Ning, the girl behind this gig, learnt to cook from her mom (a homemaker) and her dad (a former VIP chef in China). Her talent is impressive, and the food... well, let's just say we didn't leave a single crumb and had to fight for the last dumpling. And there was a lot of it. Even a six-foot-tall 3000-calories-a-day black-hole-of-food walked out of there positively stuffed. Now that s a lot of food! I'm not familiar with traditional chinese food, nor am I particularly eclectic when it comes to authentic flavours (I wouldn't know where to start with some) but I would definitely recommend heading to Mama Lan's if you can. The ingredients are fresh, Ning showed us how to make dumplings ourselves, and the flavours are amazing, even for a western palate! She organises dinners ever few weeks, and they're all announced early on at [hidden link] Table only seats 12, so if you want to try real chinese flavours, book early!

The Asian representative of Brixton Village Market. Mama Lan is a small business with big flavours. I love that it 's family owned and I even got the pleasure to see mama and papa Lan at work when I had my dumplings at the 'bar ' table. I 've only had the dumplings here but I 'm sure the other dishes are good. I always mean to try the other dishes but I 'm just too taken with the dumplings to sway. So if you 're in the area definitely a place to check out for a dumpling snack. remember to check the market 's opening times to avoid disappointment.

Delicious prawn and tofu dumplings! I got the order for takeaway and the transport to Lewisham didn't dilute the flavours at all. Pillowy dough, dumplings chock full of diced prawn and tofu and served with a spicy chili sauce that wasn't too hot. Friendly waiter and they accept card only. Yay!

I 've been to Brixton Village on several occasions, and have long been dying to try the local legend, Mama Lan. It appears to even have expanded to Clapham, Dalston, and Stratford! There are usually long queues to get one of their few coveted tables, but on a Tuesday evening, we arrived just a little before 7 PM and the whole market was oddly empty so we were seated right away. The menu is pretty simple: there are a few noodle soups, a few dumplings, and some other snacks and sides. We both ordered the beef noodle soup (it says spicy on the menu, but I assure you it is hardly spicy at all), and the beef and pork dumplings. The pork dumplings are supposedly with Chinese leaf, which upon further research is what I would call a Napa cabbage. I was a bit disappointed that our dumplings didn 't arrive first, as that seemed to be a more natural way to do things. Instead, we got the beef noodle soup very shortly after ordering, and it was a good sized portion with hearty stewed beef, a great soup, and thin, tender bok choy leaves. However, it wasn 't the size of a large ramen bowl where you would only expect to eat just that one thing, so it was a good thing we ordered the dumplings. Both of the dumplings we got were pan fried, and I suppose £1 per dumpling is quite standard across London, but I still find it surprisingly expensive. Together with the beers, the meal was about £20 per person a decent cheap eat, but hardly a steal, especially considering you are sitting in the cold with your coat on. That said, they use high quality meats from Ginger Pig and it was all extremely authentic and tasty.

I chose the chicken noodle salad, and we shared beef and pork dumplings. The service was quick, and you could immediately tell that the food was freshly prepared. The noodle salad was surprisingly cold, but it was delicious! It was packed with chicken, perfectly seasoned in a sauce reminiscent of satay, and I loved the sprinkling of peanuts on top. Now, let’s talk about the dumplings! They were AMAZING! Soft and juicy, with a generous filling of meat and spices. I wished they would never end! I could have easily gone for another plate. If I come back, I’d skip the salad and just have two plates of dumplings—they were that good! In terms of pricing, for central Brixton Market, it’s quite reasonable. We spent around £30 total for two noodle salads, two large portions of dumplings, and drinks!