Mambow - (Near Hackney, South East)

3 /5 Ayanna N: had high expectations for mambow after seeing it on the michelin bib gourmand and all over social media. we spent around £150 between two of us: one starter, two mains, a dessert and a bottle of wine on paper that can feel justified, the food did actually taste good. the issue rather was that from the moment we ordered, we were reminded how long we had left on the table — we were told we had 1 hour 30 minutes to eat. as we were finishing our mains, we were informed dessert was ready. mid-bite of the main, we were told our plates would be cleared in a couple of minutes. the whole meal felt timed and monitored this isn’t aimed at the servers. It’s a small restaurant, it gets busy, tables need to turn. but the management of that pressure shouldn’t spill so directly onto the table. space is tight — you’re essentially dining with everyone else. that can be lively, but paired with loud music it makes conversation difficult. with the time pressure, it felt very rushed. if I’d had even a little more room to talk and eat at a normal pace, I would have walked away thinking very differently. the food deserved more time than we were given. service charge was 13.5% which is outrageous

5 /5 Kamilia Khairul Anuar: Heard good things about this place and it did not disappoint. I am Malaysian and have been to many Malaysian restaurants around London, so I had high expectations. This is not a traditional Malaysian restaurant but a more modern “elevated” concept, so my interest was piqued. My husband and I ordered five dishes (two starters - the prawn toast and the salted egg yolk sardines, and two mains - beef assam pedas and sambal skate wing, with a bowl of rice, and then the cassava cake for dessert). We were plenty full by the end of the meal, though granted we are not huge eaters! Everything was delicious, well balanced - nothing too greasy or salty or sweet. If I had to compare the food concept to something it would be like a Malaysian version of Kolae. The food is a little experimental / innovative but still very true to the classics. Seeing some reviews here saying the food is too spicy, but I would say this is pretty authentic Malaysian levels of spice and as a Malaysian I am glad they didn’t hold back! My husband, who is British but can handle his spice, was also fine with the spice level. We were here on a Friday night so it was busy but service was fine and we loved the bustling but relaxed atmosphere. Overall we would definitely come back, we loved everything we ate and wish chef Abby Lee and team great success with this restaurant.

5 /5 Amanda Chan: Really enjoyed my dinner experience here. We ordered the Umai cured fish, Salted Egg Sardines, Octopus Terrine, Kerabu Jantung Pisang and Assam Pedas Daging. Overall I appreciated the thought put into the range of textures, the heat and also the depth of flavours. Especially enjoyed the Tamarind Granita which added to the refreshing flavour of the Umai. The Sardines were a nice take on the salted egg chicken, popular in Malaysia. Although we could definitely smell the curry leaves when it was being prepared, the kitchen didn’t have the best extractor. Octopus Terrine was flavourful and has interesting textures with the cucumber kerabu. Jantung pisang was a refreshing paired with the meaty Assam Pedas Daging. Overall I did not find it too spicy, although not traditional, Mambow’s take on Malaysian food embraced the traditional flavours

4 /5 Jose Jara-López: A friend saw this restaurant recommended, so we decided to give it a try. Just a heads-up: the restaurant is quite small and has an open kitchen, which means you can smell everything being cooked. It didn’t bother us, but it’s worth noting in case that’s not your thing. To drink, we ordered a bottle of white wine (Verdil) and a bottle of red (Tempranillo). Both were okay—perfectly drinkable, but nothing particularly memorable. For food, the waiter was very helpful and suggested ordering 10–12 dishes for the five of us. We chose: Achar Awak, Celeriac Skewers, Otak-Otak Prawn Toast, Umai, Karabu Beetroot Salad, White Pepper Palurde Clams, 1/2 Garlic Fried Chicken, Grilled Hogget Rump, and Whole Gurnard with Turmeric Asam-Style and Coconut Rice. Personally, the Achar Awak, Celeriac Skewers, and Palurde Clams didn’t stand out for me, and I probably wouldn’t order them again. However, everything else was delicious. Special mention goes to the 1/2 Garlic Fried Chicken, the Grilled Hogget Rump, and the Whole Gurnard with Turmeric Asam-Style—all fantastic and highly recommended. The food was very good overall, but keep in mind this won’t be a cheap meal. Unless you order less food or stick to a single bottle of wine, you’re likely looking at around £70 per person.

4 /5 Alice Gee: The quality of cooking and menu design is fabulous. The only reason I dont give Mambow a rating of 5 has to do with poor comfort of the dining room. Many of the dishes were quite hot, so that my husband, who has a sensitive digestive system, but does love Indonesian and Malaysian food, didnt dare to eat much. Prawn toasts were the first of our order to arrive. Delicious balance of sweetness with prawns and coconut. Served on betel leaves. Toasts could have been crisper for my taste. The husband could have a couple of these if he removed the pickled chilli garnish. The Taro Abacus Seeds (also known as Abacus Beads) was my favourite dish of the night. Ever since I saw a contestant on Australian Masterchef make these, Ive been curious about this dish. I loved the mochi-style chewiness. Strongly flavoured elements in the accompanying stir fry were great. These were pork belly sliced paper thin and marinated in something sweet and sticky, wood ear mushrooms gave a chewy neutral contrast and shavings of fennel added crunch. Grilled celeriac skewers was the least favourite of our starters. It had a nice texture, but I am not so fond of celeriac. The persimmon sambal dipping sauce was awesome with sweedness, acidity and heat. We chose the less spicy salad of beetroot and todoli citrus - which tasted like pomelo. This was redolent of very finely slivered lemongrass. Flavour balance was similar to other SE Asian salads that are sweet, sour and umami. The heady herbal note was excellent. In general, I like Mambows willingness to source and shred less usual fresh Asian greens and aromats. Our main was the garlic fried chicken. Excellent frying technique with shatteringly brittle skin, perfectly tender meat (both breast and leg) and no greasy mouth feel. There were persimmon leaves as garnish and deep fried unpeeled garlic cloves which were sweet enough to eat whole. I had these once before as an accompinment for fish in a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in Thailand. I remember thinking at the time that I must try this at home, but never got around to it. Glad I could have that soft, sweet garlic with papery skin at Mambow. The chicken came with two sambals, one made with vinegar and the hotter one oil based. Food was exquisite. It is great to find a Malaysian with a menu that doesnt consist solely of the usual suspects of Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Char Guay Teow and Satay. However, I do have a few misgivings. The rice wasnt brought until our last dish, the only one from the mains section of the menu. Coconut rice could have tempered some of the spiciness of our starters, so I would recommend asking for rice to arrive with the starters. The room is cool looking but not comfortable. Acoustics are horrible so a single rowdy table in the room ruins the possibility of conversation. Tables are close together and the painted concrete floor is slippery, especially in the WC. The ventillation for the open kitchen is inadequate, so during our visit the restaurant filled with chilli scented smoke. Wine was exorbitant--£40 for a tempranillo, the cheapest red.