Mandalay

I went here a couple of nights ago and had a great time. We had leafy greens fritters which came in a light tempura-like batter - perfect as a starter with the chilli dip. Mains consisted of a coconut based lamb curry with coconut rice and naan bread, as well as prawns stir fried in ginger. Both were well proportioned (and I'm a greedy man) and we were both very full but happy afterwards as we left. Best of all the food was simple but very tasty.

The staff inside were friendly and happy to explain the menu which made a big difference. Although the restaurant itself won't win any prizes for appearance, it is simple, basic and completely functional, with the food the biggest winner of the day. Will be coming back and great value as well. The meal for two with tip came to £24!
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Bevis Man
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, August 03, 2011

I am anglo burmese and was invited to eat at Mandalay - having eaten Burmese food all my life I was very interested to see if these dishes were authentic. They were, the curries were just as they should be, dry and tender. the mohinka (fish soup type curry) was to die for. We had bouthie Jaw (marrow fritters) absolutely delicious. Try the papaya and cucumber salad so refreshing. Do not be put off by the plastic tablecloths and the decor, the food surpasses this. The staff were attentive and very charming. I will definitely be going back there again!!
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Lisa M Pain
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Quite likeable for a change. Much more like Indian food than Thai. There are obvious Chinese influences here - noodle, prawn crackers, soy sauce, however it is the Indian style curries that seems to define the cuisine. Especially liked the shrimp bhaji style starter.

Give it a go.
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Sajeev Cheeroth
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Saturday, February 12, 2011

Went here for dinner last day. Quite packed and the food was good value for money. Esp, double cooked fish curry was quite good!
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Sunny - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Monday, October 11, 2010

My grandparents, mum, aunts and uncles are all anglo Burmese, they moved here from Yangon in the 60's. I have been very fortunate to grow up around my grandmother's Burmese cooking until she passed away in 2008. I have been desperate to eat some real, familiar Burmese cooking since then and had been meaning to come to Mandalay for months. I decided to bring my boyfriend along to try his first Burmese dish and can say that we were not disappointed. We order Kaukswe and Mohinga (two of my favourite dishes of my gran's). I was not expecting it to taste exactly the same (as each person has their own style of cooking) but was really happy to taste the similarities and authenticity. My boyfriend was also really impressed with the flavours and spices found in the dishes. The only thing that were nothing like what I was expecting were the banana fritters (I am used to them soft and flat) but like I say, everyone has their own style.

The restaurant itself is small and a little tired looking but after reading reviews I already knew what to expect and after all, we were going to experience the food. I was also pleasantly suprised to see how busy it was on a Tuesday evening and some of those eating in there appeared to be regulars. Service was good also. The food itself is also very reasonably priced, we paid £25 for two starters, two mains, a desert, two cokes and two beers.

I live in Clapham but will definitely be frequenting visits to Edgware Road for great food and memories of my gran.
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Little fat face girl
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Friday, August 13, 2010

If the lady who claims the restaurant is owned by Indians let me just give you some FACTS. The restaurant is owned and run by grandsons of U Wa Gyi (first Burmese superintendent of government printing press), grand nephews of Dr Ba Han ( formwe attorney general of Burma) and Dr Ba Maw former (president and prime minister of Burma). The family members are Burmese, born and raised in Yangon. We have never eaten Fritters with FISH sauce even in Burma. I have always eaten with chilli sauce with vinegar. If you don't know who owns the restaurant you should not write it is owned by Indians. It is sad that no one has the guts to open a Burmese restaurant in a place like London. Regarding the only Burmese restaurant, yes, the only one, there are people criticising without knowing what they are writing. Suggestions are very welcome, but don't give false accounts. Who said waiters must be of Burmese origin or speak Burmese?
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Real Burmese - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 02, 2010

I am a 100% Burmese Woman from Burma. I've been living in the UK for the last 10 years but never heard of this restaurant. After reading the good reviews about the food, my boyfriend and I decided to take our White friend to the restaurant. All i want to say is that it's not authentic Burmese food at all. First of all, the owners are Indian. Nobody speaks Burmese there. They might have lived in Burma somehow but they don't know how to cook Burmese food and I am 100% sure the chef had never tried Burmese food in his life. Most of the dishes taste like Indian cuisine. The main ingredients of a Burmese curry are onion and fish sauce. I couldn't taste both. They used too much tomatoes instead to make the curry paste. Fritters (A Kyaw) are the most popular appetizer in Burma served with homemade chili sauce which includes fish sauce, green chilies, red chili paste and coriander. We've been served the A Kyaw Sone dish with Chinese soy sauce and Thai sweet chili sauce. After all, it wasn't a pleasant experience at all for someone who knows Burmese food like me but our friend didn't complain as he doesn't know the food. And the service is not good. The atmosphere and decoration is horrible. If you are to spend £50 for 3 people, you would expect a little more than a low standard cafe style restaurant. I am really sorry to say but they shouldn't even say it's a Burmese Restaurant because simply they're not serving authentic Burmese food. It's kinda misleading for people looking to try Burmese food. No wonder the restaurant is not popular and not even talked about among Burmese people. Please don't go there. Now i can believe there's no Burmese Restaurant in the UK.
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Burmese Girl
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 3
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Went last night - great food, quick service (not overly smiley, but perfectly efficient), and really good value. Will definitely be going again.
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8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Friday, March 12, 2010

i used to come here a lot but moved away so it has been a year or so since i visited. went back here a few nights ago and am pleased to say that the food and service are both as great as ever.

we had some lovely samosas and spring rolls to start- slightly jealous of the neighbouring table's fritters when they arrived but i suppose that is another reason to go back soon. for mains we had a selection of veg dishes and rice - all very tasty but the standouts were the okra and the aubergine and potatoes- and some coconut, chicken and veg noodle soup which was delicious.

service was great- refills on the green tea and happy to provide tap water- all in it came to £10 per person. this place is an absolute gem- word does seems to be spreading, so make sure you book as it does get busy.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 29, 2010

Inspired by the experiences of food bloggers, my sister and I have been trying out new, cheap ethnic places recently - the likes of Tayyabs in Whitechapel, Yalla Yalla in Soho and Red Bar on Bethnal Green Road. She heard about this tiny Burmese place from a work colleague, so we headed there - possibly the only hungry people on Edgware Road who weren't after MIddle Eastern scram.

Mandalay is basically a canteen in a grubby promenade of shops on a strip of the Edgware Road I wouldn't go near without the promise of good food, yet the smells upon arrival, not to mention the owner's spotless tuxedo (!) and wraparound grin, made us feel instantly at ease.

We ordered a couple of Tsingtao beers, minced chicken samosas, shrimp and beansprout fritters and a raw papaya salad to get started - the samosas were light, non-greasy and packed with flavour, the papaya salad refreshing and punchy, and the fritters more like deep-fried shredded shrimp than whole pieces. Really good with beer, we could have eaten another plateful.

Next up was Lamb with tamarind (really tender lamb with a good sour kick), Chilli king prawns (quite sweet with a strong nod to an Indian curry, could have done with more chilli but delicious none the less) and Aubergine with potatoes - this veggie dish was an afterthought, but absolutely gorgeous and incredibly garlicky.

We ate the lot with the really flavoursome coconut rice and another round of Tsingtaos. By now (8pm or so) the place was heaving, with most people appearing to be regulars as they were greeted like old friends by the owner.

A great place if you want cheap, interesting food - particularly good to show off to foodie mates who might not have come across it themselves. Highly recommended, as is booking a table.
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BrightonSuz
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 25, 2009