Second Merivale restaurant we visited for the Feast of The Senses this winter was Lotus in Potts Point.
It was friday night and parking was a nightmare ! I had to go round the block for half hour to finally find a spot *ughhh* ! I was ready to give up and just go home already.....
It was much more noisy compared to when I was here last in March , I have to scream across the table tonight just to have a conversation with my friend.
I suppose it is Friday night, and a lot of people were dining in and even the bar lounge was full of people.
Don't go here on Friday nights if you are after a quiet dinner ^_^
Like Bistro CBD and most of the restaurants taking part in this festival, there are 3 options to choose from for Entree, Main and Desserts.
Lotus' orientation of cuisine is that of European with an Asian twist by its head chef, Dan Hong.
So, without further ado, here are our meals that night :)
Mussels Steamed in Beer with Chorizo & Chili
I didn't get to try this entree that my friend ordered, but she is not complaining so I shall assume it is good :)
"Prawn Toast" with Herb Salad & Yuzu Aioli
I should have move the herb salad aside to show the prawn toast LOL My bad...sorry !
The prawn paste has very strong coriander taste which I love, and is smeared on top of bruschetta before being deep fried to golden goodness.
The yuzu in the aioli is barely noticable, I wouldn't have thought it was yuzu if I didn't read the menu.
The herb salad is fresh and crisp and complement the prawn toast.
And for the mains.....
Chargrilled Marinated Angus Beef, Grilled Scallions & Hoisin Mustard
Again, didn't try this, but it was cooked to what my friend ordered and is juicy.
I'm sure it's as good as it was before when I had a similar dish during the March into Merivale last visit.
Caramelized Pork Belly, Watermelon, Leaf Salad & Sherry Caramel
The highlight of the meal !! The pork belly is cooked until it's crispy and golden but still retains its juiciness. I was eating this ever so slowly....
The watermelon might sound like an odd addition to the dish, but like the leaf salad & the caramel, the sweetness and freshness works really well with the pork belly that is savoury and rich.
We decided to go for the 3 course menu since the desserts sounds interesting.
Banana Fritters with Palm Sugar Ice Cream
The batter is made from flat green rice instead of the usual flour batter. The green rice batter is quite chewy and hard, and has a bit of floral aroma, like Jasmine ?
I still prefer the standard flour batter, this was a bit too weird for me....
My friend didn't like it either, she was leaving the "skins" behind and just eat the banana inside :P
Pandan Chiffon Cake, Coconut Tapioca Sauce, Queensland Strawberries
Totally not what I expected of a chiffon cake and the portion size was smaller than I anticipated too :P
I was thinking of fluffy, tall chiffon cake, and instead what we have here is a dense pandan cake that is a little salty.
Another surprise is that this dessert is served warm....not too sure about this dessert as well.
So thumbs up for the savoury dishes, not too sure about the sweets though.
Lotus is also having a special lunch on Saturday, 17th July - a 5 course seafood degustation specially created by Dan Hong and aptly titled Creatures of The Deep.
I'm looking forward to see what we will be having for lunch that day :)
They have 3 seatings for this special lunch, 12:00pm, 12.30pm and 1:00pm, so book now !!
Lotus
22 Challis Avenue
Potts Point, NSW 2011
(02) 9326 9000
hmmm the mussels looked good
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