Mamalan

This engaging Chinese café evolved from a north London supperclub, then crossed the river to become part of the second wave of entrepreneurs who conquered the now buzzing Brixton Village Market. A family affair inspired by the Beijing stall run by owner Ning Ma’s grandparents, it serves hearty northern-Chinese street-food – in particular, dumplings. Brown-bottomed beef and pork pot-stickers fly out of the kitchen and into the crowded, ramshackle dining room at an impressive rate, but veggie dumplings filled with woodear mushroom, spinach and vermicelli are also worth a try (at a fiver for five, it would be rude not to). Other crowd-pleasers include spicy chicken wings in a hot and smoky sauce and the smacked cucumber, a chilli-garlic taste bomb.​