Mr. Taste and I were lucky enough to both win dinner vouchers as part of Merivale’s Tweet to Eat competition, a weekly giveaway on Twitter to celebrate March into Merivale. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than at Lotus, the eastern Sydney bistro headed by none other than Dan Hong.

With fellow foodies Lisa and Andrew in tow, we made our way to Lotus after work on a Friday night. We were surprised by the size of the bistro, which was a small space seating only 10 or so tables. Like all Merivale restaurants, Lotus is stylish and very well furnished (I’m eyeing the wallpaper for my bedroom). The staff did seem a little frazzled on the night, perhaps a little disorientated by the heat and the busy night ahead – even Dan Hong zoomed past us, too quick for us to say hello.

We order four of the six entrees listed on the a la carte menu to start, which arrives promptly with our bread.

Seared scallops with duck ham, kale and yuzu brown butter - $23

The scallops are cooked pefectly, slightly firm on the outside and supple on the inside. The duck ham and kale adds a rustic earthiness to the dish, which was a nice suprise.


Lightly smoked ocean trout, horseradish, trout roe and apple vinaigrette - $19

Mr. Taste’s smoked ocean trout was my least favourite of the four, although due to no fault of its own. I’m not a fan of smoked salmon or trout, largely thanks to my old days as a travel journo where every lunch and dinner function started with a course of smoked salmon. I can’t touch the stuff now! Nonetheless, there are some great flavours in this dish and you can tell it has been thoughtfully put together.

Sashimi of yellowfin tuna, sweet wasabi, soy truffle dressing - $25

Tuna is a difficult fish to get right when ‘sashimied’. If not cut correctly or properly stored, you get a very furry texture that is rather unappetising. We’ve had bad tuna all too often, but the yellowfin at Lotus is fantastic – the fish is fresh and has a firm texture. The sweet wasabi paste that accompanies finishes off the dish very nicely.

Queensland spanner crab with sweet corn, coriander, crab consommé - $22

The highlight of the entree round was my crab consommé. There were so many great flavours happening on in this dish – pops of sweet corn, fresh coriander, pockets of crab meat – all of which were tied together nicely with the consommé broth (which tastes remarkably familiar to pho). I haven’t been this excited about a dish since the squid ink ravioli at Pendolino!

By the time our empty plates are whisked away, the restaurant is at full capacity. It takes a good 45 minutes before we see our waiter again, but despite the long wait, we were in a good enough mood to tolerate it.

Char grilled grain fed striploin, sautéed mushrooms, confit garlic, tarragon jus

Mr. Taste and Lisa’s order of striploin is a thick juicy cut and is very tender. The accompanying sauce was slightly sweet, while the sauteed mushrooms adds a richer, deeper flavour. The confit garlic was also a nice addition and Lisa had no issue eating it straight off her plate. Mr. Taste was not so game.

Char grilled grain fed striploin, sautéed mushrooms,
confit garlic, tarragon jus

Meanwhile, Andrew and I order the slow braised pork belly, which was equally (if not more) fantastic. The meat was meltingly tender, ready to fall apart at any given tug. The highlight of this dish was the pork crackling, which had a certain architectural quality about it. The accompanying celeriac puree was incredily smooth and the pungency from the mustard helped to break up the richness of the pork.

Slow braised pork belly, mustard celeriac puree, puffed pork crackling

Slow braised pork belly, mustard celeriac puree,
puffed pork crackling

With our mains complete, we were ready for our sweet course. I can’t say that I was tempted by anything on the dessert menu, but happily went along with my fellow diner’s choices.


Hot fudge sundae with raspberries and honeycomb - $14

Our hot fudge sundae arrives with hot fudge on the side, giving us the enjoyable job of pouring it over the ice cream. There is something wonderfully comforting about a hot fudge sundae, and Lotus’ rendition is unbelievably satisfying. Dotted with raspberries, there is also a hunk of honeycomb lurking in the middle.

Hot fudge sundae with raspberries and honeycomb - $14

Warm chocolate sponge, butterscotch, banana and yoghurt sorbet - $14

Sadly, the warm chocolate sponge falls a little short in comparison. It was very dry and lacked imagination. That said, it found a friend in Mr. Taste, who confessed it was his favourite.

Warm chocolate sponge, butterscotch, banana and yoghurt sorbet - $14

Overall, we had a fantastic meal at Lotus. The service may have been a little slow, but we were wowed by each and every dish. I know I’ll definitely be back, if for nothing else than that fantastic crab consommé.

Lotus
Challis Avenue
Potts Point
# 02 9326 9000
www.merivale.com.au

The March into Merivale promotion is on now until 14 April. Get in quick before you miss out! For more information, please visit www.marchintomerivale.com.au.