The Mandalay Bus
Cnr of Lonsdale and Girraween St
Braddon ACT
Opening times: Wednesday to Saturday 6pm – midnight (sometimes to 1am?)
Please check their Facebook page here to confirm opening hours or give them a ring on 0405 551 782
Note: Cash Only
We broke our “once a fortnight eat out” rule and finally made it to the Mandalay Bus recently. I have been wanting to go ever since
I heard about it reopening about 2 years ago (?) but with its limited opening days and the weather and just about everything else going against us, we have not been able to. Situated in a carpark at Braddon, The Mandalay Bus has such big followers. It is quirky, it is fun and it is GOOD.
The portion of the food is probably on the smaller side, perhaps meant to be eaten “tapas style”. We shared four dishes between the three of us, but honestly, I could actually eat all of them to myself. However, in our efforts to eat less, the portion we ended up with was actually enough.
Beef brisket with heirloom tomatoes and chipotle caramel sauce ($15)
We went with Little E’s twin sister (from another mother) and her parents, so we actually was able to try other dishes as well. I cannot say what the others think but I liked everything I had there. Little E pretty much slurped his way to the entire bowl of the Burmese chicken curry with noodles. My favorite was the jalapeño aoli waffle fries, then perhaps the beef brisket (though it was pretty pricey for the amount of food you actually get).
The best part of the Mandalay Bus though was the atmosphere. As it is located in a carpark, coupled with the quirky seating area and a grassy area right next to it, we were able to eat and have the kids run around. We got there right at 6pm (they open until 1am!!) and soon after the place was busy. The food did take a little bit longer than what probably restaurants can do, but they did come steadily one after another.
Like I said, we had such a relaxing meal, sitting outside, enjoying our restaurant-quality food, listening to our kids having fun at the park nearby. We left the place as it started to rain, had it not, we probably would stay much longer to listen to the band who was still setting up. Miss V was the awesome baby that she is and slept after she had her dinner 🙂
I will definitely go back to the Mandalay Bus again soon (weather permitting). It is a refreshing change to the restaurant scene, without sacrificing the quality of food.
Note for parents with young children: there are no high chairs available, so you will need to use your prams if your children cannot sit on normal chairs yet. However, there’s a park right next door so you can have a picnic instead 🙂 There are also only plastic utensils, so you may want to bring your own utensils if your children still need them 🙂
The Unicorn Mum 