For modern Malaysian flavours with a Chinese influence, full of life, colour and fragrance, a trip (or trek) to Mambow (no. 4) in Clapton is well worth it. Founder Abby Lee honed her skills spending two years in Puglia. Mambow (no. 1) initially launched as a bowl food pop-up in Commercial Street in 2020. Due to Covid, Mambow (no. 2) then became a meal-kit concept, before turning back to a Malaysian food court stall in Peckham (no. 4). This saw Abby dig deep into her Peranakan heritage to create fiery flavours, a scintillating signature sambal and one of the most exciting small kitchens in the capital.
Mambow has now taken on its fourth incarnation and fingers crossed final form in Clapton. Step inside this culinary cubby-hole, and you’re immediately seduced by the mélange of mesmirising spices and flavors being used in the open kitchen. The space is tight – a bit of a sleeve – with seating running the length of the space alongside the kitchen, and high seats propped up by the window. But it’s a fun and friendly DIY vibe. There are jazzy tiles here, and a splash of Jacques Majorelle blue paint there – very much a WIP! It’s simple, and it’s functional, but there are candles on every table and pops of neon that lend it all a little warmth and colour.
The menu is a wonderful blend of Malaysian flavours. For starters, my companion and I went for Kerabu Jantung Pisang (£11) to share. A grilled banana blossom salad with sambal oelek, spiced fried peanuts and herbs, this is a beautiful dish. Punchy citrus proved the perfect foil to fiery sambal.
For mains, I went for Squash Kapitan (£13) – caramelised squash, lemongrass and turmeric coconut curry sauce – with Blue pea flower rice (£3.50). Sweet and succulent, this bowl was sensational in its lip-smaking sloppiness.
Mambow is home to totally distinct flavours. Crunchy, punchy and unashamedly spicy, a meal here is one to savour. It’s the kind of food that will have you scraping the plastic plates clean and doing a little jig. Not that there’s much room for that, mind. But the music is pumping, the wines are juicy, and, most importantly, this is somewhere for Mambow to call home.
Mambow, 78 Lower Clapton Road. London, E5 0RN
Website: https://www.mambow.co.uk/
Rating: *****
Yumtini 