Muan is waiting for you to indulge!

Hazal Yılmaz
Apr 28
3 min read

Updated: May 15

The hustle and bustle of Brixton stands before me: crowds of people carrying piles of shopping bags, backpacks, bindles, bedding, leeks, four-for-a-pound lemons, baguette, flowers, apples, pineapples; belt, tote, and messenger bags; and sacks of records—listened to, admired, and bought from Pure Vinyl. Some locals are hefting bikes, buggies, and luggages up and down to the station, while others are channeling speakers attached to electric bikes, running at high speed, playing The Souljazz Orchestra. A group of twelve, maybe fifteen, are waiting at the bus stop for the 37 to Peckham, the 3 running from Marylebone to Crystal Palace or the 333 to Tooting Broadway, which reminds me of Daddy Bao, serving sesame aubergine and shiitake mushroom bao, still on my list to try. Visitors and tourists are posing in front of the David Bowie mural, a tribute to where he was born, in this exact postcode, but probably in a different neighborhood before the ongoing gentrification. People are waiting at the red light, crossing at the green, while some are just running horizontally across the street to catch the bus, the train, the lunch, the life. At The Ritzy, one of London’s oldest movie theaters, opened in 1911, the announcement of the day is from Joanne & Stu: “I wrote for luck, they sent me you.” Brixton, as always, is vivid, pulsating, and vibrant.

Inside Brixton Village and Market Row, which was designed in 1928 by RS Andrews and J Peascod. This covered market occupies an infill between buildings on Electric Avenue, Atlantic Road, Coldharbour Lane, and Electric Lane, with The Village added to the existing structure in 1937.

Today, as on most days when I come to Brixton, my destination is Brixton Village and Market Row. As I pass through the streets, memories pile up. The first time I visited was for La Fauxmagerie, the renowned French-style vegan cheese deli that later moved to Brick Lane before settling in Camden Town, inside Purezza. For a vegan, there couldn’t be a better idea than a monthly visit to Brixton to try Brixton Blue vegan cheese and Camamvert. In later years, the market became the meeting point with SE friends—breakfast at Sarava Creperie for vegan galettes; buying fabric for an upcoming skirt or fashion line; lunch at Okan for vegan kimchi teppanyaki; Arepa de Conuco with sweet potatoes, charred apple sauce, crunchy corn, pico de gallo, and fresh leaves at Arepa & Co; drinks at Pergola. But lately, I come to Brixton Village for one ultimate purpose, when hunger strikes: Muan, the vegan Thai and natural wine restaurant.

Inside the Muan, Brixton Village waiting for the regulars to arrive. — *Inside the Muan, waiting for the regulars to arrive.*

Located at 52-53 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, on the 3rd Avenue of Brixton Village, if you must ask a local, Muan is where my craving for pad Thai meets my ongoing search for London’s must-have tofu dishes. This is the kind of vegan promised land where you should gather an alliance to share plates—and later preach to absent friends about the bursts of flavor they missed. The pledges are as follows: succulent, spicy papaya Som Tum salad; mouthwatering pad Thai with peanuts, fried tofu, and chickpeas; umami-packed, crispy Chinese chive cakes; and deep-fried dumplings with sweet and sour tamarind sauce. As for drinks: Côte du Rhône by Rémi Pouizin, a Mali Old Fashioned, or Hola-Par.

Long story short: Muan is waiting for you to indulge whether you're vegan, non-vegan, vegan-curious, or simply a Thai food devotee. Come together, right now, over there.

Shiitake mushroom and tofu skewer in red curry sauce on the left, chrispy chinese chive cake on the right at Muan. — *Shiitake mushroom and tofu skewer in red curry sauce on the left, chrispy chinese chive cake on the right.*

What to get: As mentioned, the whole menu is vegan, thoughtfully designed for both vegans and plant-based eaters. You can choose from The Vegan Butcher selections: Grilled vegan flank steak with spicy jaew sauce—a sauce typically incorporating ingredients like dried red chilies, vegan fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, toasted rice powder, and fresh herbs like galangal and cilantro. Or from The Garden: Chickpea green curry dip with roti.