Chic Chinese restaurant Mama Mulan opens in Chatswood

Chatswood may be overflowing with great Asian eateries, but there’s none quite like Mama Mulan, a new 180-seater Chinese restaurant which has just landed on The Concourse.

Mama Mulan is one of Chatswood’s most stylist restaurants.

Chatswood may be overflowing with great Asian eateries, but there’s none quite like Mama Mulan, a new 180-seater Chinese restaurant which has just landed on The Concourse.

The venue marks the first for hospitality entrepreneur Kim Jin, who wanted to create a sophisticated offering for the area.

Mama Mulan was designed by Paul Papadopolous from DS17.

“Mama Mulan’s most significant point of difference is its design which features bespoke interiors and free form art which celebrates Chinese culture in a modern form,” says Jin.

The elegant venue sees limewashed concrete walls married with refined, curved edges.

Neutral tones are used, from the pale timber tables to glazed clay pottery, which is set against vibrant emerald and indigo accents.

The venue contains art and pottery.

There are three private dining rooms.

The venue was designed by Paul Papadopolous from DS17, the design firm also responsible for top Sydney restaurants Nour, Lotus, Alpha restaurant and Beta bar.

“It sets the stage for a unique dining experience and creates a contemporary Chinese ambience, while maintaining warmth and intimacy,” says Jin.

Hand-pulled noodles are made in full view of diners.

Heading up the kitchen is Marble Ng (ex-Lotus Dining, Chef’s Gallery) who dishes up a menu of northern Chinese delicacies, specialising in hand-pulled noodles and freshly pinched dumplings.

“Signature dishes include the hand-pulled dandan noodle soup with pork, chilli and peanut sauce and live lobster wok-fried in Mama Mulan’s secret Szechwan sauce,” says Jin.

Mama Mulan serves northern Chinese cuisine.

Fresh seafood, such as lobster, snow and mud crab, pipis and coral trout can be chosen live from the tank and wok-fried in dried chillies, salty fermented black bean and Szechwan peppercorns.

There’s also a homemade dim sum menu, which includes a range of pretty purses, from prawn potstickers to twirled xiao long bao and mixed mushroom dumplings, served in bamboo steamers.

Xiao long bao are made on site.

Live seafood is a specialty.

Another distinction for Mama Mulan is it’s range of Chinese-inspired desserts, with a mix of traditional sweets, like the red bean puffs and mango pomelo sago, which sit alongside fun fusion options, from the coconut cream crème brulee to the deep-fried ice-cream, coated in crispy panko crumbs, drizzled in sea salt caramel and crusted with butterscotch popcorn.

There is a dedicated bar serving Asian-inspired cocktails.

For something stronger than green tea, patrons can trade up the loose leaves for a cocktail in the marble clad bar.

There’s fresh and fragrant offerings, from the Imperial Garden, which mingles rosemary, honey and grapefruit with Bombay Samphire gin, to the sultry Fire Lance, which infuses Woodford Reserve vodka with orange zest, burnt sugar and smoke.

Details:
What: Mama Mulan
Where: Level 1, The Concourse, Chatswood (above Willoughby City Library)
When: Lunch Mon - Sun 11:30am - 3pm, dinner Mon - Sat 5:30pm - 10pm, Sun 5:30pm - 9pm
Web: mamamulan.com.au