Merivale Winter Feasts, Lotus, Potts Point
I hadn’t planned on going to any Merivale Winter Feasts as there’s a New Zealand trip coming up that I still need to save for. *sigh* However, when one of my high school friends wanted to have an intimate dinner with a few friends and excitedly mentioned it, I couldn’t resist raising my hand.
We all know Potts Point is one of those fancy suburbs, but we still found ourselves admiring Lotus’ swanky and tasteful decor. We were surprised at how dim the place was – much to my great, great, great dismay as I fretted whether I’d be able to take decent photos. It took our eyes a while to adjust to the orange dimness.
The Merivale Winter Feast menu offers two choices: a two-course dinner ($35) or a three-course dinner ($39); both with a glass of wine or beer. Wait, a three-course dinner for an extra $4?! We all thought “Why the heck not?! Bargain!” (I know! We’re so Asian… it’s rather terrible, but the pull of the “more bang for your buck” is so very hard to resist).
Both Mong and I didn’t want any alcoholic beverages and our waiter trumpeted that he could arrange a soft drink for us (he literally trumpeted, the projection of his voice was really astonishing). Moments later, true to his word, he plonked down two tall glasses of Coke with ice.
I tried not to dictate people’s choices to ensure that the four of us would cover the entire Winter Feast menu, but really struggled! Thankfully, it all fell into place and all 9 dishes on the menu were covered.
Entrée
Butternut Pumpkin and Parmesan Soup with Poached Free Range Egg and Thyme Crumbs
Mong loved the soup, but when she stirred in the parmesan she thought it made the soup too cheesy. Both Ruby and I are cheese-lovers and exclaimed that it was awesomely cheesy. While Ruby found the parmesan did overwhelm the pumpkin flavour just a teensy bit, I whole-heartedly loved it. Definitely one of those warming dishes, perfect for winter.
Salad of Calamari, Mint, Cucumber and Coriander with White Soy and Ginger Dressing
This dish was easily our favourite entrée. We couldn’t get over how fresh it was and how the perfectly cooked calamari was so fabulous. The dressing wasn’t overpowering and complimented all the components very well.
Parma Prosciutto with Honeydew Melon, Pecans and Endive
No one picked the poor prosciutto dish. I adore prosciutto and I usually can’t get enough of it when served at restaurants. However, I found that there was just a tad too much prosciutto on my plate and was thankful for the melon slices, pecans, and endives to cut through its saltiness.
No matter which combination you chose (melon and prosciutto, prosciutto and just pecans, or everything all together), they all worked together effortlessly and brought to the fore different emphasis on flavour through different combinations.
Mains
Fish of the Day Grilled with Crushed Potato, Leek and Tarragon Sauce
The fish of the day was, I think, Mirror Dory (Ruby was a bit sad because one of her favourite animated characters is Dory from Finding Nemo). However, she seemed to get over that really quickly when she tasted it. Well-seasoned, crisp, succulent – Ruby could not believe how perfect the fish was cooked and raved on for the rest of the night how much she loved it.
The other components merely added to the perfection of the dish overall, but the Mirror Dory was definitely the highlight.
Caramelised Pork Belly with Apple Salad and Celeriac Puree
I think I may have a weakness for pork belly. Mong generously gave us a portion of her pork and it was absolutely scrumptious. I adored how tender it was and how it was so packed with flavour when combined with the puree and apples – the slight sweetness mixed well with the salty and earthy pork.
Char-Grilled Black Angus Rump Steak with Mashed Peas and Red Wine Jus
I spent so long trying to take a good photo of my dish that it had cooled down significantly by the time I got around to eating it. Sigh.
Despite that, the beef was a wonder, a medium-rare perfection, and oh! Its juiciness and tenderness… *swoons*. The mushy peas were unreservedly buttered and when I popped all of the components into my mouth (mopping up the sauce with the beef), I accidentally let out a little moan. Mong and Myle both eyed my dish enviously and both had to agree with my moan when I gave her a piece to try. It was just that good.
Dessert
Pine Lime Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream
This dessert strongly reminded me of the Pine Lime Splice and I think that’s why Ruby enjoyed it so much. I liked how this dish finished off the three-course dinner on a light note.
Fromart d’Alpage with Quince Puree
The cheese tasted almost like a very, very mild blue cheese and it was wonderfully creamy. The crackers, cheese and quince puree were perfect partners in crime.
Chocolate Terrine with Butterscotch and Crème Chantilly
The terrine was like a very rich, thick, and dark bitter-sweet chocolate brownie. The butterscotch added a welcoming crunchy texture to the terrine, but both Mong and I weren’t too sure about the flavour combination. I think ideally the butterscotch and chocolate flavours would go together quite well, but in reality there was something conflicting with the flavours that I can’t quite put my finger on.
So thick was the terrine that I struggled to finish the dish, despite the cream lightening it considerably. For the first time in a long time, I was not able to finish a dessert – I had run out of cream.
Outside Lotus
Lotus is a fantastic, beautifully decorated restaurant that has friendly wait staff and fabulous food. I couldn’t get over though just how dark it was (yes, I’m sorry I’m complaining again) and wondered if it was really necessary to be that dim. We had two old ladies seated at the table next to us and one of the ladies had to read the menu out to the other because it was too dark for her to read it! It was amusing, but I felt bad at the same time.
We got a nasty surprise, however, when we received the bill: there was a $15 surcharge. For what? And why weren’t we told about the surcharge when we were seated? A leant over the table and stage-whispered that it was because we ate the bread. I know that some restaurants in Europe has such practises, but in Australia? Really? It was a shame to have the night end on a slightly sour note after having such a wonderful dinner.
Lotus
22 Challis Ave
Potts Point, NSW, 2011
Ph: (02) 9326 9000
Web: www.merivale.com/#/lotus/lotus
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By squishies
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This article was written on 08 Aug 2009, and is filed under Dessert, Dinner, European, Sydney, Inner East.
Current post is tagged
beef, Dessert, merivale winter feast, Seafood
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you did really well with your photos given its reputation for being dim and photo-hostile
and oh sneaky bread surcharge! was it automatically brought to your table or did you nod at the suggestion? i remember in europe we never touched bread or olives on the table just in case we got slugged, but in aust? hmmm… tricky tricky!
.-= Helen´s last blog ..Kaizen BBQ, North Ryde, Sydney =-.
In total awe re: your photos. I was part of a party of 3 who also went to Lotus for the Winter Feasts. We had to be given a torch in order to see the menu (the fact that they automatically offered it to us kind of indicates that maybe they ahem need to reassess the lighting situation?!?). I tried to take photos but it was just too hard, and I don’t have any photoshop etc. How much work did you need to put into getting them to this amazing level? Am seriously totally in awe!!
I had the proscuitto, rump and chocolate terrine too LOL.
The bread surcharge thing is bizarre because I am certain that we didn’t get charged for our bread….
.-= aptronym´s last blog .. =-.
I wish I knew someone who took as much pleasure in dining out as you do. It would make going out to eat so much more fun. Thanks for a little glimpse of what goes on in restaurants “down under.”
.-= Irina@PastryPal´s last blog ..Hello Again, Chocolate Mousse =-.
fish eye photo is so cool. i can’t believe that charged you for bread. was that actually what it was for listed on the menu or perhaps bottled water? that’s a bit pricey for bread and many fine dining restaurants provide this as complimentary. i would have actually complained. we’re not in Europe or Asia, will Australia start charging to use the bathrooms and providing you a few sheets of toilet paper next!
.-= Simon Food Favourites´s last blog ..Exotic Asian Fruits, Cabramatta (2 August 2009) =-.
I love all things pork belly. I would love to try lotus. It looks like a very relaxed dining experience.
.-= Katherine´s last blog ..Cibo E Vino Cafe & Restaurant =-.
$15 surcharge???!!!! Uh, Uh girlfriend, that’s all kinds of wrong!
.-= Reemski´s last blog ..Cupcake Camp Sydney =-.
$15 for bread is just wrong… I probably would have asked them to remove it.
.-= Trissa´s last blog ..CIRA – Rolled Spatchcock with Brussel Sprouts =-.
Your photos look great! And I am eying those cubes of pork belly mmm and the cheesy soup ^^! Hee hee at Asian mindset
.-= FFichiban´s last blog ..Koi – Woolwich, Sydney =-.
Your photos are freakin amazing considering how stupidly dark it is in Lotus. You should see how shamefully bad my photos were! That $15 dollar surcharge is so dodgy, I don’t remember getting that and we ate our bread too
.-= Steph´s last blog ..Cranberry Cinna-Choc Cookies =-.
Amazing work with the photos – I struggled big time when I visited. We had a table of three and ate the bread, two lots of it in fact, and didn’t get surcharged for it. Perhaps it was something else?
.-= shez´s last blog ..layered celebration cake =-.
Great photos in the conditions! We got slugged $20 at ucello when they kept filling us up with bottles of still water grrrr. I make it a point now to ask for Sydney Water
.-= Mr. Taste´s last blog ..Boon Chocolates – Darlinghurst =-.
Great photos considering the lighting! The food looks fantastic, especially the beef. Shame about the bread… I’ve never been anywhere in Sydney (or Australia for that matter) where they’ve charged for bread!
.-= Jacq´s last blog ..Potato and Leek Soup =-.
Umm Steph’s right, we didn’t get any surcharge on our bill. Very sneaky of them.
Girl, your photos are freaking awesome! My camera just couldn’t do it! I’d love some lessons from you on dim light SLR photography!
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Spiced Chocolate Bread + Butter Pudding =-.
Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to reply – I’ve been holidaying in New Zealand with no internet *gasp* I’m back now and I can’t wait to post about the food we ate in NZ! =D
Helen: *doubtfully* I suppose, but I still don’t like how they turned out (am I being too pedantic? haha)
I’m still puzzled over the surcharge, as the bread was automatically brought to our table and we had tap water. My friend suspects it’s the bread, but I’m unsure.
aptronym: Wow! They really gave you a torch to read the menu?! Geez… I really do wonder why they would want such dim lighting in the first place =T
*embarrassed* I think they could be better… There was a bit of work involved. I used Lightroom 2 in conjunction with WhiBal (gray reference card for white balance). However the WhiBal couldn’t do its job properly because of the noise so the white balance is a bit out. *sighs*
Hehe *hi 5* I thought it was a nice combo, though I might have swapped the terrine for the pine lime splice, I mean granita haha.
Bizarre, no?
Irina@PastryPal: *blushes and ducks her head* Aww shucks… but then again, I can’t help but be amazed by what the chefs create =) Gotta express it somehow, right? Hehe
Simon Food Favourites: Hahah yeah, I thought I’d get over the novelty of the fish eye pretty quickly, but I’m still giggling over the photos I take with it =D
The receipt just said “Surcharge” – no explanations from the wait staff either. I guess we should have asked what it was for, but we were feeling mellow from the dinner so we decided at the time to just pay and be done with it.
Heh I always forget to have change on me when I go to the bathroom in Europe – invariably the cleaner gives me the stink-eye.
Katherine: It was pretty casual fine dining experience – I liked how the chatter noise level wasn’t too loud but loud enough to be able to peal off a laugh without having people looking at you to shoosh.
Reemski, Trissa: Yeah =T But we were in a good mood and so paid for it – rather obediently, now that I think of it.
FFichiban: *makes a face* They’re okay…
LOL the Asian mindset can’t be helped – I think it’s ingrained or something. hehe
Steph: *embarrassed* I had a really big advantage – I used my d700, but even in using ISO 6400 I struggled to take a decent shot (most of the time, I was wobbly because the camera’s a tad too heavy for me to hold completely steady… Gah).
shez: It could be, but for the life of me I don’t know what it would be! We had tap water as well, so it couldn’t be that?
Mr. Taste: Oooh that’s what happened with us when we went to Quay – winced when I saw how much it was. Hehe same, lesson learnt!
Jacq: Ah the beef…. mmmm *nom nom* Yeah, neither have I. I’m still undecided whether it was the bread, but my friend was pretty convinced it was.
Karen: *embarrassed* Nah… really, they weren’t… And like I mentioned to Steph, I used my d700, which goes up to a hectic ISO of 6400, so there was a biiiiig advantage there. So really… it’s all the camera that’s done the hard work, not me.
To be honest, I feel like I’ve let my camera down for not being about to produce nicer photos. If I was better, I think I’d be able to. And so really, all I do when taking photos in dim lighting is try to keep steady and I try not to use apertures lower than f3.5, but sometimes I have to =T
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