Mulan Waltham

MuLan in Waltham closed and then re-opened for takeout only, but in August started doing indoor dining again. This is an old favorite of mine, and for a while, I had lunch here just about every other Friday. Excellent food with a very extensive lunch menu with about 39 items to choose from.

There is also some ambiguity about the name. The outside sign says MuLan, and the menu says Mu Lan or Mulan. The Website also says Mu Lan and Mulan.

I have seen them going from closed on Mondays to open 7 days a week. They expanded to take over space next door. Their excellent Hot & Sour soup stopped being included at lunch. Currently, the pickled cabbage and the peanuts are also absent at lunch. I also miss the lunch combo plates that are no more.

I felt really safe dining in here at lunchtime during the peak of the Covid, since usually just a few tables are occupied. Their takeout business is booming.

I'm really missing their Lunch Combos that are no more.

The mayor removed all parking meters in Waltham. Where am I more likely to eat lunch? Waltham, where all the meters are gone, or Arlington, who installed parking meters?

The Fish Fillet with Spicy Bean Sauce (9.95) was the first dish I ordered after the MuLan re-opened for indoor dining. I'm unsure where the name comes from since there is not one bean present? It's a good amount of fish, and you can stuff yourself silly and still have enough leftovers for dinner. The sauce has a hint of sweetness, and it's pleasantly spicy. The fish is also always perfectly cooked. I really miss their H&S soup that used to be included at lunch. It was an excellent version. No more peanuts or pickled cabbage either, but I hope that this is just temporary.

Pork Chop Noodle soup (10.95). You get a giant bowl of soup loaded with noodles, veggies, and a tea egg. I had this dish a few years ago, and the broth was tasteless, the noodles overcooked, so I have stayed away. The soup today was much better, but not their best. You get a plate with pork chops on the side, and the chops are delicious. These are "Chinese" pork chops meaning they are neck chops, and that's good since you get more flavor and fat. Dining in at lunch was very quiet, but the takeout was flying out the door.

L34 Chicken in Chili Sauce (9.95) is another longtime favorite. See any chili sauce? Me neither, but I see plenty of crispy and juicy dark meat chicken. I also see dry chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and something I thought was jalapenos, but they didn't taste like jalapenos, nor are they the long green peppers. The mystery pepper is slightly hot and has a lovely fruity flavor. I finally got a waiter today that speaks good English and asked about the peppers, and he said jalapenos. I guess this is what happens when they get sauteed under high heat. This is an excellent dish that also has a fair amount of heat. Look at the amount of food you get at lunch!

This post prematurely ended in early June when I got there for lunch, got seated, got water, and started snacking on the pickled cabbage that's back on the tables. A couple that arrived a few minutes before I did, got their food order taken, then got their food. I was utterly ignored despite plenty of waitstaff around doing stuff, so I left. They seemed more interested in the takeout business than waiting on tables.

I returned almost a year later since I really missed their food. This time I actually got served. Today's dish was the L17 Diced Chicken with Hot Sauce (9.95). This is another favorite of mine. See any hot sauce? Me neither, but plenty of tasty jalapenos that aren't very spicy. Plenty of dark meat chicken. The pickled cabbage is back, but not the peanuts. It was an excellent chopstick exercise to chase the peanuts around.

Address 835 Main St, Waltham, MA 02451 Phone number (781) 642-8888

The invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck.
-- Paul Virilio