Mamasan Review: A colourful southeast Asian fusion in the heart of Glasgow

A swanky restaurant in the town centre, Mamasan is the perfect embodiment of high-end quality whilst still offering affordable prices.

We were greeted by some stunning interior design and a friendly hostess, making us feel we were getting a luxurious experience. I am not the biggest fan of harsh overhead lighting, and thankfully, I was suitably appeased at Mamasan as soft lamps and some adorable fairy lights welcomed us.

In terms of the food itself, which, let’s face it, is what everyone’s here to read about, we thoroughly enjoyed everything. I had ordered the Wok Fried Chilli Jam Chicken, which I was blown away by. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this, but this dish exceeded any possible expectations. It had a nice kick but was smoothed out by the jam aspect, which provided an excellent little sweet component to the plate. I enjoyed this meal and would definitely order this again, given the opportunity.

Source: Eilidh Currie, Wok Fried Chilli Jam Chicken

My mum ordered the Kakiage Pad Thai, a vegan, flavour-packed dish. We had struggled a bit on what to get for her seeing as she is allergic to shellfish, and most items at least had traces of some in them. Nonetheless, our waiter was more than accommodating and was the go-between between the chefs and us, finding out what could be adjusted for her and what couldn’t. She settled on the Pad Thai and was more than satisfied with this.

My dad had ordered the Pad Thai of King Prawn & Crispy Soft-Shell Crab, which he was delighted with. I’m not the biggest fan of crab dishes, so I didn’t try this, but my Dad couldn’t fault this dish. It packed a punch with the spices, but this wasn’t unwelcome. The dish was vibrant, flavoursome, and very colourful. Overall, this went down a treat with my Dad.

Source: Eilidh Currie, Pad Thai of King Prawn & Crispy Soft-Shell Crab

The extra dishes were also a welcome addition to the meal. We had ordered the Hebridean Seared Scallops to start, which were, simply put, stunning. As it was a starter, it was a small portion; however, if it were up to me, I would’ve made that portion 10x bigger. We had the Dirty Thai Fries as a side, and this has to be a favourite of the night. I’m a sucker for some form of loaded fries, so I was very much looking forward to this, but this exceeded all expectations. Once again, I would’ve been happy this just being my whole meal; it was that good.

Source: Eilidh Currie, Seared Scallops and Dirty Thai Fries

The cocktails lived up to all the social media hype. I had initially ordered a frozen passionfruit martini, which was very pretty, not as sweet as I expected still tasty, nonetheless. I had also ordered the Macaroon cocktail, which, funnily enough, was the opposite. It was very sweet, a perfect dessert cocktail, and the decorations on top were an adorable addition.

Source: Eilidh Currie, Frozen Passionfruit Martini

Overall, we had an enjoyable experience at Mamasan. The service was slow, leaving them for something that could be slightly improved, but apart from that, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would return.

★★★★

Mamasan is located at 222-224 Ingram Street, Glasgow, G1 3BX

Booking in advance is recommended, and that can be done by calling the restaurant at 0141 739 1550 or online at https://mamasan.uk/bookings/