I knew he had a lunch appointment with our clients, and I knew there were three people in total - including him - for the lunch affair. Fair enough if it was at some upscale restaurant, but $150+ at a dumpling joint for three people? (They did not even order any alcohol, mind you)
"What did you guys order?", I asked him, a bit bewildered, while checking the itemised order on the bill receipt. Duck pancakes, dumplings, dumplings, and more dumplings... .
"Dumplings," He said nonchalantly, "Anyway, give this place a go. It is excellent."
That was a few weeks ago and I quickly brushed his recommendation off; After all - for me, Din Tai Fung or Chef's Gallery are already epitomes of expensive dumplings.
Until last night - the second last night of Vivid festival for 2014. With all the road closures, 1/2heart and I parked our car closer to Chinatown and decided to walk all the way to The Rocks and Circular Quay to enjoy the light festival.
Then we got hungry. Then we spotted Lotus Dumpling Bar. Then I remember my colleague's enthused gushing recommendation.
Between Lotus and an
Lotus is chic. There is no doubt about it; from the semi-indutrial decor, the china dishes, even the tea cups (by the way, tea for two costed A$5, and it's free refill). But what about the food? After all, I came here expecting a lot.
The first dish: Jade Seafood Dumpling (A$13.80). Once you get past the thought that each piece of these dumplings costs more than $3, you'd be happy to taste delectable pretty dumplings filled with juicy prawns, mushroom and peas, enveloped in perfect dough. The jade green color is apparently from spinach, but for me it just gave a nice color (I'm mad about green) and just made it more enticing to eat.
Have to give my toes up for the skin texture: perfect thickness - they hold the fillings very well - and no hint of sogginess, they bounced inside my mouth.
Pan Fried Pork Buns (A$10.80) had perfect crispy bottoms and when eaten, exploded with juice from the ground pork inside.
Next came Prawn & Pork Wonton in Spicy Sauce (A$9.80). I ordered this thinking it would be a similar version of Din Tai Fung's - the one that I love so much. However, this one was quite different: instead of the usual tangy sweet and spicy sauce I was accustomed to, Lotus' wontons were not as spicy. I was a bit taken a first (chilli-freak over here), however treated as a different dish altogether, it was actually quite good. The cloudy sauce had nutty sesame taste, the wontons were moist and glided very easily the moment they touched my tongue - bouncy and flavorsome.
Lotus Fried Rice with Duck and Asparagus with Mustard Flavour (Small - A$16). I ordered this as I figured the past three dishes were not enough for the two of us. Wanting to avoid ordering more dumplings, I thought this would be a good stomach filler.
Small portion turned out to be a good portion for two, however this was probably the least satisfactory dish for the night. Though the rice had good texture and still had very mild mustard flavor (dotted with mustard seeds too), it was quite lacking in flavor - we had to put some soy sauce and chilli into it to make it more of our taste.
So, the verdict? I have to admit my colleague is right: Lotus is a great place serving excellent dumplings. Taste (apart from that fried rice), texture, quality - they hit the spot. Just don't think of the bill.
Shop 3a / 16 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
Satisfied with our dinner, we braced the cold night onto The Rocks and Circular Quay vicinity to treat our eyes to Vivid light show. With some pictures from the night, I finish this blog post :)
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