There are a few pubs in London notable for their hosting of fledgling food businesses, giving talented but cash-strapped teams a chance to test their market and their cooking skills without the risk and stress of opening a completely brand new restaurant. Over the years, you will have possibly read about a few of them on this blog - The Prince Arthur in Dalston, the Spurstowe Arms in London Fields and the Newman Arms all played the part of startup host at some point in time, and some still do.
But perhaps nowhere is as influential on the London food network as the Sun and 13 Cantons in Soho. Not all their partnerships have been successful (to say the least) but then that's not always the point - when you open your doors to anyone with an idea untested in the marketplace, not everything will find an audience. But if you can say your humble city centre pub was responsible for the success of the brilliant Darjeeling Express, well, that's a record to be proud of.
I am not going to make any predictions about what lies in the Sun and 13's latest resident Mamapen's future, because I am notoriously bad at predictions (I thought Café Kitty would be a surefire success; it closed last week after barely a year open). But I can tell you that the appealing, reasonably priced food served by their enthusiastic and energetic team is doing almost everything right, and they deserve to go far.
Dinner kicked off with a plate of pickles, tasting as vibrant and multicoloured as they looked. My particular favourite was the almost fluorescent yellow daikon, which had a fantastic punchy pongy-ness.
Next, mushroom skewers, nice firm shiitake in a gently sweet glaze, licked with smoke from the coals. At least, I assume they're cooking over live fire because it certainly tastes like it. They came with a little clear chilli-spiked dip, as did the...
...pork neck skewers, equally deftly cooked with a nice dark crust from the grill. If this is Cambodian cuisine, I'm a fan.
Prawn crackers were notable not just for a remarkably addictive "sour soup seasoning" but because they came with a fantastic "burnt chilli and pineapple" dip which actually went with most of the menu not just the crackers.
Sorry if it seems like I'm rushing through these descriptions a bit but although most of the dishes felt like a lot of work had gone into them (thanks to nice balancing of fat and salt and sharp and sweet), not knowing the first thing about Cambodian cuisine I'm a bit of a loss to explain in more detail why. Our favourite of the snacks was pan-fried tofu knots, soft and meaty-tasting (despite being vegan), soaked in rich green chilli and with fried shallots for extra crunch. Cambodia seems like a very nice place to be vegan.
"Panko pork toast" was more elevated comfort food - accessible and even vaguely familiar to London tastes but still interesting, topped with a fried egg and homemade XO sauce. Oh it was good pork too, greaseless and with plenty of flavour.
We were finally defeated by this generous portion of chicken but fortunately Mamapen happily provide takeaway boxes. And so I'm happy to report that even the next day this was a fine piece of poultry, moist right to the bone thanks I think to a clever marinade and with another sweet, sharp and citrussy glaze. Charred broccoli were also beautifully crunchy and soft in all the right places, with an extra note of exotic toasted sesame.
It's probably right to assume that Mamapen, despite their announced title of "London's Only Cambodian Restaurant", aren't trying to be the last word in the cuisine. It doesn't feel like some deeply authentic slice of Phnom Penh transplanted into the UK - it is after all pub food served in an English pub, albeit food of a style and flavour the capital largely hasn't seen before.
But is in that very process of balancing authenticity and commercial success that so often produces extraordinary results. Stick rigidly to authenticity and you won't be more than a sideshow for a handful of ex-pats. Give the people what you think they want and you're no better than any other chain restaurant in the country. But if you can be accessible and interesting, using Cambodian cuisine as inspiration while still serving a menu full of dishes people want to eat in a country 6,000 miles away (and believe me, you'll want to eat all of it), then you end up with something quite special. I said I don't make predictions, and so I won't. But let's just say if "Chef's Table: Mamapen" appeared on my TV listings in a couple of years' time, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised.
9/10
PS. While I have your attention, my company is paying managers and owners in the hospitality industry £100 for an hour of your time. You don't even need to leave your house/place of work. Sign up here!
I was invited to Mamapen and didn't see a bill, but a realistic amount per head including a drink or two is probably about £40.
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