Mandarin Food Store

About Us

Unlicensed Hong Kong-style laneway restaurant at 30 Rose Lane run by Jenny Ma, who also operates Common Place Coffee Brewers next door. Jenny took over the post-COVID sandwich-shop lease for storage, then partnered with an old-school Cantonese chef when the landlord wanted active trade; the room draws Hong Kong and Guangdong expats for affordable claypot brisket, wok-tossed pipis, and rice-plate comfort food (The City Lane, May 2025; What's On Melbourne, Oct 2025). Walk up to order with plastic-stool dine-in, a compact daily-changing menu, and loud wok-hei energy — dai pai dong nostalgia rather than polished dim sum. Soft drinks only in-house; BYO non-alcoholic from neighbouring Rose Lane venues is welcome. No owned website — @mandarin_food_store on Instagram is the primary web channel; The City Lane lists e-mail and website as n/a. Walk-in lunch and share-plate dinner; Menustic confirms dine-in, takeaway, and delivery options (Jun 2026). Uber Eats listing has been closed on that platform since Sep 2024 but still documents the menu URL cluster.