Featured, Food, Reviews

MuMu Sydney Review: Bold Southeast Asian Eats, Cocktails & Fun in the Heart of the City

May 22, 2025

Quick Bites:

🍝 What we ate: Prawn betel leaf, nasi goreng, claypot garlic rice, fried calamari, honey glazed char siu chicken
🍷 Best for: Celebrations, get togethers, and friend/date lunches/dinners. Reservations recommended
🌅 Location perks: Right in the heart of the ivy precinct — perfect if you’re already in the city or want to keep the night going after.
⭐ Vibe: Playful, high-energy, and stylish
📍 Where? MuMu Sydney, George Street (ivy precinct)
💰 Price: $$ – $$$

MuMu Sydney is exactly the kind of place I’d want to celebrate my birthday.

This year, my cousin invited us to lunch at MuMu, one of the best restaurants in Sydney for bold and vibrant Southeast Asian food. This popular Sydney restaurant is located in the heart of the buzzing ivy precinct on George Street. After doing a bit of reading before we went, I found out MuMu’s led by executive chef Dan Hong and head chef Oliver Hua. The menu pulls inspiration from their food adventures through Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam — which totally makes sense once you see the mix of flavours and influences coming out of the kitchen.

My cousin had been raving about it, so my curiosity was already piqued. From the moment we stepped in, it felt like we’d gatecrashed a party (in the best way possible). The space is electric — walls drenched in bold orange with accents of neon blue, glowing signage, and silver disco ball overhead catching the morning light. It was just 10:30 AM but the place already had some buzz building. There was a slight moment of dissonance — should I be ordering coffee or a cocktail? Although honestly, that’s the charm of it all.

The music playing (whoever was in charge of the music: thank you, my husband and I LOVED it), the open kitchen and the theatre of it all, a few early tables filling in — it was magnetic, and I was sat.

Food at MuMu Sydney
MuMu Sydney full menu: See menu here

We ordered a bunch of dishes to share — which is probably the best way to eat at a place like MuMu. The menu is designed with that in mind: Sharing plates, bold flavours, different textures, lots of colour and spice. Everything arrives fast, in no particular order, and you kind of just dive in, passing plates around and tasting a bit of everything. It makes the whole experience feel more fun — like you’re in on something together instead of just eating your own thing. Also, it’s way too hard to choose just one dish, so sharing it is.

We started with margaritas because… why not? It was my birthday after all! I don’t really drink much these days, so even one hit me harder than I expected. One sip in and I already felt the warm buzz setting in — funny how quickly your tolerance drops when you’re out of practice. But it was a good kind of buzz. The drink was sharp and citrusy, with just enough salt and a hint of something spicy around the rim. Dangerously easy to finish.

We started with the sweet prawn betel leaf ($11 each), which was fresh and bright and gone in seconds. The mix of tiger prawn, lime, macadamia, pickled ginger, chilli and coconut caramel was intense — in a good way. It had that sweet-salty-spicy balance that Southeast Asian food does so well.

The honey glazed char siu chicken ($39) was one of the standouts for me. It was sticky and full of flavour, with a little char on the edges and a chilli ginger sauce on the side that gave it a bit of heat without being overwhelming. The fried calamari ($32) came dusted with roasted rice and lemongrass, kind of like laab in fried squid form — zesty, crunchy, a little unexpected.

But the dish I kept going back to was the claypot garlic rice ($24). I grew up on garlic rice — as one does if you grew up in a Filipino home. It’s one of those comfort meals that always reminds me of home — so I tend to have high expectations. This one was buttery and packed with crispy garlic chips. It wasn’t trying to be fancy, but it truly delivered. Just really well done and ridiculously satisfying.

We also had the nasi goreng ($36), which was generous and full of flavour — prawns, sambal, fried egg on top, and those crunchy crackers on the side.

I have one regret, though — and that’s not leaving enough room for dessert! Silly mistake. We’ll be back so I’m already eyeing some dessert dishes like the Kaya toast ice cream and halo halo.

Should you eat here?

I’m already looking forward to my next visit, so yes! Not just for the food — which was genuinely great — but for the whole experience. It’s one of those places that makes a regular lunch feel like something worth celebrating. The energy, the boldness, the way every dish arrives with colour and personality. It’s fun, it’s hip, and it feels like an escape. Plus, I already know I’ll be craving that garlic rice again soon.