Lotus, Barangaroo

All right, I probably feel guilty of not having written this one earlier. It all started last year when one of my work mates told me that they make a sensational lamb ribs. Now for the foodie chatter and his love for lamb, instantly he was hallucinating and thinking of the spicy lamb skewers at Loving Lamb. So, that where the journey started. On a cold night, after a few coldies, I convinced my married friend to man up and follow his instincts and do something impulsive rather than going home or taking permission from the wifey.  There have been a number of visits, so I am going write about the dishes I have had so far. Just a disclaimer, to make sure you don’t think of foodie chatter possessing the supernatural capability to order and eat half the menu in one go!.

To begin with for starters, we have had the Sui Maa’s which are like the open dim sums with some pork and prawns. Quite Delicious to start of with prawn and pork fried dumplings, which are quite delicious. Crispy fried with a little it of sweet dipping sauce. Nothing overtly extraordinary, but nonetheless a good starter. Next comes the lamb riblets. When I first went to Lotus and ordered the lamb riblets, I expected a grilled lamb riblets with cumin and chilli. Now the one at lotus is probably a bit different. When it comes onto the table, there are singles of riblets, which are crunchy and deep fried. The coating is a crispy coating of dry spices, predominantly cumin. Garnished with shallots and red chilli, this is a great starter. A bit different, but the lamb is soft inside, and the cumin is quite strong in the flavour along with the chilli , which I suspect to be the Sichuan peppercorn. Not too much bit just a little bit of numbing effect on the tongue. Personally, I came here quite a few times, but it has a slight strong lamb flavor, and lacks salt. Nonetheless, a good one to try.

There is a new dish in the menu in my last visit and these were the grilled lamb cutlets. They seemed to have removed the lamb riblets, and I was a bit sad initially. However, when the lamb cutlets appeared, whoa, what a sight. Comes with these bright orangish colored lamb cutlets with slight charring on the meat. I mean, first look and I early gasped thinking if this a subdued version of Tandoori lamb cutlets.  Lets get to the taste. The lamb is grilled to perfection. Soft and juicy inside and yet not rare. The flavors are great and I loved this dish. Lamb cutlets has always been a weakness for me and this one was just perfect.

Next is the Kung Pao Chicken. Surprisingly when I grew up in India and ate Chinese there, it was usually Schezwan, Manchurian, or hot garlic sauce for most meats. The love affair with Kung Pao, I admit started in Australia and usually if I see it in the menu, I know I am going to order it. The dating with Kung Pao started when I saw a packet of Lee Kum sauce was sitting on the aisle and giving me the looks to pick her up. I sure did and love making kung pao chicken, and one of the reason because of the sauce, the cashews and shallots- which just goes so well with simple rice. Now when it comes to Lotus, I love the Kung Pao Chicken and order it almost every time. Its become like a no brainer now.

It just looks so awesome and pretty. The sauce evenly glazed over the chicken and the diced onions, shallots. The crunch comes from peanuts added to the dish. The bright red dry chilli adds to the gorgeous looks for this dish. So delicious and love it. Must Have and recommended.

In another visit, we decide lets try something else other than Kung Pao, and there is another fried chicken. Now there is an interesting incident, because I called upon the lady who was serving us and asked how this dish was. Would it be like the Asian fried chicken like the KFC types, or it like the fried chicken with crispy skin? In my discussion and trying to summarize, I did make a comment saying its Just fried chicken. What I got in return from the lady was a 3 minute monologue, where she said that this chicken is marinated, and slow cooked once over a few hours followed by more tempering and then fried for a second time, but yes Its Just fried Chicken. Well, I think either the lady was the owner and too passionate for the food they cook, or may be just grumpy. Ether ways, we enjoyed the Just Fried Chicken comment and ordered the dish. When it arrived, well, it was to be honest just fried chicken. The chicken was soft and juicy, along with a little sauce or glaze and decorated with shallots. For something like $30 and the amount of fuss and knowledge on the cooking, this dish probably didn’t impress me much.

Next is the fried rice. Its again a favourite. There are two sizes, small and large. We usually order the large one and this is such a generous helping. The fried rice is great, with beans, shallots, egg, onions. Its also got this little wholegrain mustard seeds and cumin and to be honest, its great.

All in all, Lotus is one of my favourite places and Id always love to go back there.