Mama Lan (Northern-Chinese street food)
Mama knows best, with generous portions of decent dumplings for around a fiver
Inspired by the Beijing stall run by owner Ning Ma’s grandparents, deliciously ramshackle Mama Lan serves hearty northern-Chinese street food – in particular, dumplings. Brown-bottomed beef and pork pot-stickers fly out of the kitchen at an impressive rate, although veggie alternatives filled with wood-ear mushrooms and spinach are also good.
This engaging Chinese café evolved from a north London supper club, then crossed the river to become part of the second wave of entrepreneurs who conquered the now buzzing Brixton Village Market. A family affair inspired by the Beijing stall run by owner Ning Ma’s grandparents, it serves hearty northern-Chinese street-food – in particular, dumplings. Brown-bottomed beef and pork pot-stickers fly out of the kitchen and into the crowded, ramshackle dining room at an impressive rate, but veggie dumplings filled with woodear mushroom, spinach and vermicelli are also worth a try (at a fiver for five, it would be rude not to). Other crowd-pleasers include spicy chicken wings in a hot and smoky sauce and the smacked cucumber, a chilli-garlic taste bomb.
Address: Unit 18, Brixton Village Market, London SW9 8PR
Phone: +44 20 7733 7279
Cross street: Coldharbour Lane
Tube: Brixton tube/rail
Website: https://mamalan.co.uk/clapham/