Mama Kitchen

Overview

Street food; these two words hanging from Mama Kitchen's sign will steal your attention as you're walking down the far end of Lambton Quay. This unassuming hole-in-the-wall is home to some of the most delectable Malaysian in town — and better yet, it's kind on the wallet.

Perfect for bringing your friends or just yourself to, take a seat in the warmly lit establishment. Mama Kitchen is nothing fancy, and it's not meant to be. What it is, though, is authentic and focused on the Malaysian street food experience. Perusing the menu, you'll find the usual Malaysian treats: roti with Mama's special peanut sauce, curry laksa (which is insanely rich) and my personal favourite, kung pao chicken. The menu includes a variety of vegetarian dishes available, too, so there's something for everyone.

On this occasion, the pork dumplings came out first. Can you ever go wrong with dumplings? We think not. Juicy, fresh and exceptionally seasoned, you'll be goading yourself on to finish the whole plate in record time. Next out was the kung pao chicken ($13.50). The phrase "generous" is thrown about a lot these days regarding portion sizes and sometimes it can be an exaggeration. Let me assure you that these portions are generous and this is not an exaggeration. I was spoiled with the amount of crispy, salty, sweet, sour, and spicy morsels of chicken. Red capsicum provided a fresh reprieve from the addictive, spiced meat.

Mama Kitchen is a naughty little watering hole, treating you to some serious guilty pleasures. Although located down the far end of Lambton Quay (this one's for you, public servants), I'd willingly make the trek for some well-deserved self-indulgence.