When you think of a Malaysian restaurant in Auckland, what place comes to your mind? For me, Mulan Malaysian Restaurant in Birkenhead comes up first. That is because I have had one of the best dinners in my life at this restaurant.
Mulan is where you can try home-style Malaysian food, not the ones where everyone goes to in the CIty area. With a wide variety of dishes, Mulan caters for everyone - they even have a vegan menu with many, unmatched options.
When was the last time you thought "Let's go to Birkenhead to eat?" I never did until I discovered Mulan. They not only make everything in-house, but each dish also has a story behind it - this family-run restaurant is a must-visit.
Below is one of my favourites, the Golden Shield. The squids are flash-fried with house-made chilli jam and kaffir lime, giving you the best sweet and spicy flavours you will experience. And of course, the squids are cooked perfectly.
I love cauliflowers and usually can't pass on grilled or deep-fried cauliflowers. Mulan's Cauliflower Poppers are one of the crunchiest, tender cauliflowers you will ever have.
Pictured below:
Left: Northern Pad Thai: Rice noodles, egg, mung beans, garlic chives, roasted peanuts and tamarind - you can choose between chicken, prawn and tofu/vegetables.
Right: Mother-in-Law Mee Goreng: tiger Prawn, yellow noodle, egg, tofu, and peanuts.
Both dishes are delicious and no, I can't recommend you one out of the two because I like them both a lot.
With many beautiful curry dishes available, I would recommend asking their amazing staff for recommendations.
Their Pork Ribs (pictured below) are also delicious - with house-made BBQ sauce, these sticky pork ribs are a perfect addition to your meal.
With hundreds of positive Google reviews, you surely wonder how you have missed this place all this time, right? That was exactly my thought also. This is one of the places where I would bring people I like and feed them amazing home-style dishes.
Honestly, I have been so busy so could not go back for a while but I will definitely be back for a feast... And a couple of drinks also.
They get very busy so make sure you book before visiting; to book, visit the link here.
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Founder & Editor | Say (Seowon) Song
I run Caramel, a restaurant creative agency with the biggest portfolio in New Zealand, helping restaurants grow by providing creative and technological solutions. In addition, I manage a few restaurants more hands-on.
Instagram: @forkandtruffle
Email: say@caramel.co.nz