MamaMei — Restaurant in London

First time not so good. But, it was nearly the end of lunchtime and the place was almost full. They only have about 10-12 tables of which 4-5 are 2 seaters only. So maybe max 30 covers. I ordered dim sum. Har Kau (gow), SIU mai and char SIU Bau plus jasmine tea. Waiting time was perfectly acceptable. Tea came first. Then the Har Kau which are steamed prawn dumplings. I tried the first 2 (4 in a portion as normal) and they seemed (a) a bit small and (b) a bit floury - like the flour wasn't cooked fully. the white of the flour wasn't translucent and making the pink of the prawns visible. I sent the remaining 2 back and asked them to steam them a little more. This was no problem and well managed. Meantime the siu mai arrived and also the char siu bau. Siu Mai a little on the small side but we'll cooked and reasonably tasty. The bau were nice and fluffy with a reasonable amount of char siu.

Some implications (from reading reviews) are that they make their dim sum themselves. Well, the quality of the ingredients and the size leads me to believe they don't have their own dim sum sifu.

Also, they claim to make their own soy sauce. It was sweeter than typical Chinese light soy. I felt there was a taste I recognized...maybe oyster sauce or a tiny bit of hoisin? Either way, I think this is an unwise move. People expect their condiments to taste the same no matter where they go. French mustard, mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, gentleman's relish....whatever it is should be pretty consistent. Certainly the Indonesians have their own sweet soy. The Japanese soy is distinctly different from both Chinese light and dark soy.

I would suggest; if you are going to do your own variation of a condiment, that you inform your customers AND give them the choice of yours or the original.

I am a diabetic and so I am aware of the use of sugar in pork such as siu mai and char siu. But, I don't expect it to be added to what is meant to be a salty condiment.

These are only my comments and suggestions. I certainly mean no offense. And I am trying to be constructive and helpful. If I didn't intend to try again - then like most unhappy customers, I wouldn't bother to make a comment. I would just never come back.

I will try again. Because I don't think it is fair to judge on such a small selection, at a busy time, when service was due to end in about 30 minutes. Other customers, who were not having the dim sum, seemed to have reasonable sized and attractive looking dishes. So, maybe it was...

MamaMei – Holloway, London Review

Atmosphere & Experience (4/5) MamaMei has a no-nonsense, eat-first vibe—it’s a place designed for enjoying great food rather than lingering for hours, though you probably could if you wanted to. It’s casual, efficient, and focused on getting bold, flavourful dishes to the table fast.

Food & Flavour (5/5) We were craving something soupy and spicy, and MamaMei delivered. • Grilled turnip cake – A new discovery for us, crispy on the outside, soft and savoury inside. • Pork buns – Soft, pillowy, and great for soaking up the broth, adding an extra indulgence to the meal. • Beef noodle soup – The highlight. The server warned us it was “very, very spicy” and could be considered “torture” for some—naturally, we had to try it. It turned out to be packed with deep, complex flavours, almost like an Indian curry fused with Asian spices. Instead of a blistering, painful heat, it had a full-flavoured, warming spice that hit just right.

Service (5/5) The staff were excellent—friendly, chatty, and efficient, with a great sense of humour. Their playful warning about the soup added to the fun of the experience.

Value for Money (5/5) For a shared meal plus a pot of tea, the total came to £31.46—which felt like great value for the quality and portion sizes. Given the richness of the flavours and the satisfying portions, this was money well spent.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 MamaMei delivers on flavour, atmosphere, and value. If you’re after authentic, bold Asian flavours, a comforting bowl of noodles, and a lively, unfussy dining experience, this is a must-visit. And honestly, they should just rename the beef noodle soup “Torture Soup”—it would be a hit.

Would I...

Ordered Szechuan chicken, turnip cakes and plain chow mein for takeaway collection and I’ve had horrible food poisoning ever since 10hrs after this meal. I’ve been throwing up all day whilst trying to move out my flat (hence the need for takeaway meals) and when I called up I received 0 apology for the inconvenience caused and refusal of a refund. Have been twice before (ordered different things) with no problem and thought the staff would be understanding/apologetic but instead they accused me of lying. I hadn’t eaten anything else all day! I’m never normally one to write reviews but was genuinely shocked at how insensitively they handled this situation. I’ve been sick nearly 20 times since that meal, and am still feeling weak/nauseous and probably won’t make it to work tomorrow, so as a result will lose out on pay and they are just flat out denying it. Will not be risking my...