Mulan Noodle 木兰面舍 — Restaurant in London

Unfortunately, our recent visit to this restaurant left us rather disappointed.

On a positive note, our first impressions were excellent. The ambiance is charming, the decor tasteful, and everything appeared immaculately clean. A small detail, but we did notice that the napkins were somewhat undersized though admittedly a minor point.

The service was initially very pleasant while taking our order. My friend’s dish (cumin beef) arrived promptly. The dish was bland and served lukewarm, giving the impression it may have been reheated rather than freshly prepared. That said, the hand-pulled noodles themselves were of very good quality.

Unfortunately, my own experience was less positive. After being informed that my dish would follow shortly, I waited around 10 minutes with nothing arriving. Once my friend had finished eating, I approached the waitress to enquire. She seemed unaware of the delay and informed the kitchen. After a further wait of around 7 minutes, the wontons arrived, followed shortly by my main: the wide noodles with minced beef in soy sauce.

Regrettably, the dish did not meet expectations: the beef was more reminiscent of a stew or goulash rather than a traditional minced preparation, and again, it was not served hot. The same was true for the wontons, some of which were tending to be rather cold than warm even.

When asked whether everything was alright, I directly raised our concerns in particular, the temperature of the food and the fact that we were served at completely different times. The response we received was that the kitchen was overwhelmed with Deliveroo orders. While I do sympathise, it’s difficult to overlook that as a guest dining in, I was left feeling like something of an afterthought. If capacity is an issue, it may be worth reconsidering the volume of online orders accepted.

In light of the overall experience, I opted to remove the discretionary service charge as I was quite upset in that moment. The reaction to this was unfortunately quite unfriendly, and at no point was a sincere apology offered. She however came back with the bill saying it’s our right to remove it if we’re not fully happy.

Regrettably, we do not feel inclined to return. We sincerely hope this feedback will be taken constructively, as the restaurant clearly has potential and we would love to see improvements in the future as the dining area and atmosphere are...

📍 Mulan Noodle, Acre Lane

Mulan Noodle brings hand-pulled comfort to Brixton, combining the traditions of Chinese noodle-making with a focused, modern menu. As you step through the door, you’re greeted by the rhythmic movements of noodle-pulling and dumpling-folding in full view—a great sign that what you’re about to eat is made fresh, right there.

🍽️ What we ordered: • Spicy Rib Noodles • Vegetarian Trio Noodles (Diced potato, celery & carrot) • Wontons in Chilli Oil • Veggie Dumplings

🍜 The Spicy Rib Noodles were the highlight—tender ribs in a rich, savoury broth with heat that builds gently. The Vegetarian Trio Noodles, while simple, were unexpectedly comforting, the potato, celery, and carrot combo was clean, hearty, and satisfying. Wontons in Chilli Oil brought silky textures with a chilli oil that tingled more than burned, and the Veggie Dumplings were juicy and well seasoned.

📝 What I liked? Watching the noodles and dumplings being made fresh as you walk in sets the tone immediately. The food itself is high-quality and thoughtfully prepared. Great vegetarian options, not just an afterthought.

✅ Would I go back? Yes. It’s a great casual spot for noodle lovers, and I’m keen to try the Biang Biang Noodles and Big Plate Chicken next round.

🔍 Note: First visit review rating reflects initial impression, and I’ll definitely be back for more.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📌 DISCLAIMER: All reviews are based on real visits to the listed establishment, items ordered, my personal experience on the day, and a true reflection of my visit.

#MulanNoodle #BrixtonEats #HandPulledNoodles #NoodleMaking #SpicyRibNoodles #VegetarianNoodles #ChineseComfortFood #LondonFoodie #DumplingLovers #ChilliWontons #AcreLaneEats #FoodieFinds...

It was my first time and will be my last time coming to Mulan.

Food was fine but service was not great. I did not enjoy my experience. It was unfair to be treated like that as a customer.

We were 10 mins early to our booking and got arranged to the table near the reception & right next to the door. 10 mins later they were assigning guests to the back room and then we asked to be moved there but the waitress rejected us. “Because the table has been “arranged””. Apparently they are trying to fill up the front of the house first. There were delivery drivers walking in and out passing through my table. I don’t like my table being in the high traffic area.

The door was opened the whole time as well so I was hyper alert of my bags and my belongings potentially getting snatched. There was only 1 table being occupied in the back room throughout my time there. (Photo attached.)

The restaurant was not even busy so I don’t understand why my request was denied. For my whole meal, I was just very disappointed and upset. I kind of lost my appetite as well because of that.

I would not ask my table to be changed if it was super busy but it was not! I am being reasonable here - please remember service and atmosphere are very important if you want to have...