I've heard positive reviews about Mu Lan, so when I saw that its Google overview lauds its menu for being "veggie-friendly" I was sold. When I walked in, it was pretty busy with most of the room filled by groups of families and friends. Hearing the chatter, I was immediately transported to my childhood for a white tablecloth family meal.

Despite the bustle of the dinner hour on a rainy Friday evening, I was quickly greeted and seated by a server. Based on the Taiwanese tag in the restaurant's name, I wasn't necessarily expecting it, but some of the staff even spoke Cantonese. As in dim sum, they brought hot tea in a pot, as well as a small dish with some veggies (cabbage and carrots) as a light appetizer.

I came in ready to order the pan fried vegetable dumplings, and when I saw the menu listing "must try!" next to the spicy bean curd, I had to add it as well.

The dumplings were plated very prettily on a lace paper doily, which was an interesting contrast to the plastic spoon used for the accompanying sauce. I like my dumplings crispy, so I was happy to see the lightly seared bottoms. The dumplings were good and each bite was pretty light, even after adding the sauce.

The presentation of the spicy bean curd was not all that impressive. They're just firm tofu cubes - the skin was hard enough to give the dish some texture, but not unpleasantly so. There was a good amount of cilantro garnishing the plate, but essentially piled on, rather than sprinkled over, the tofu. Despite the name, the sauce was not hot. Overall, the spicy bean curd was fine, but I wouldn't call it a "must try" here.

Both dishes fulfilled the basic requirements of eating out - they were filling and I had no complaints about the taste - but didn't impress. I actually enjoyed the service more, which was quite the welcome change of pace from the typical experience in an authentic Asian restaurant. I was really taking my time with the meal and I didn't feel rushed at all, allowing me to really soak in the ambiance and the fond memories it brought up for me!