Mambow
The black pepper chicken curry is Abby Lee's family recipe from Perak, built on Sarawak peppercorns, an Indian-style curry powder, curry leaves and red onion.
Why go
Lee grew up in Singapore working in family bakeries and reached London by way of Malaysia and Italy. Mambow ran as a residency at Spitalfields and Market Peckham before it took the permanent Clapton room in late 2023. The cooking is fast, chili-forward and specific: lor bak rolls of five spice pork and bean curd, otak-otak prawn toast, grilled banana blossom salad, tamarind skate wing curry. The Good Food Guide named it Best Local Restaurant 2026 and rated it Very Good on all four of its axes, and it carries a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand. The room seats few people, runs Wednesday to Saturday, and gets loud.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Sarawak black pepper chicken curry, which is Jeff's pick too, with coconut pandan rice. Add lor bak and the otak-otak prawn toast, both named by Time Out in its five-star review.1
- Avoid: the counter seats when you plan to share. The Infatuation calls them
not ideal for the kind of spread you should be ordering,
and notes that some starters land late in the meal.2
What locals & experts say
- Time Out London (Leonie Cooper, 7 Dec 2023, 5/5):
Modern Malaysian flavours full of life, colour and fragrant flavour,
fromone of the most exciting small kitchens in the capital.
1 - The Infatuation (Jake Missing, 27 Mar 2024, 8.4): a
high-octane restaurant, mixing delicious displays of creativity with exhilarating whacks of chilli,
in a room that isfashionably unpolished.
2 - The Good Food Guide, Best Local Restaurant 2026: a
Malaysian-flavoured east London original,
whereit is irresistible – especially if you get a kick from electrifying cooking.
3 - London The Inside (Jules Pearson, 27 Nov 2023):
some of the best Malaysian food you'll find in London,
with the one complaint that the curries could carry more sauce.4
Good to know
- Timing: Wednesday to Friday 5.30pm to 10.30pm, Saturday lunch 12pm to 3pm and dinner 5.30pm to 10.30pm. Closed Sunday to Tuesday.
- Booking: book. Four services a week in a small room does not leave much walk-in room.
- Room: tight tables, candles, loud music, per The Infatuation.
- Hygiene: FSA rating 5, Hackney, inspected 25 October 2024.
- Getting there: 78 Lower Clapton Road E5 0RN, up from Hackney Central, buses along Lower Clapton Road.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Order: "Don't miss black pepper chicken." REAL.
- Note: "Hot new restaurant." REAL. The Clapton room opened in late 2023 after residencies at Spitalfields and Peckham.
Verdict
must-visit — Abby Lee grew up in Singapore in family bakeries, cooked through Malaysia and Italy, ran Mambow as a market residency at Spitalfields and Peckham, and landed the permanent Clapton room in late 2023. The black pepper chicken curry is her family's recipe from Perak, built on Sarawak peppercorns and an Indian-style curry powder, and it is the reason to make the trip. Time Out gave it five stars and called it one of the most exciting small kitchens in the capital, The Infatuation scored it 8.4, and the Good Food Guide named it Best Local Restaurant 2026 while it also holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand. It runs four days a week in a tight room, so book, and do not sit at the counter if you want to order properly.