Where do you go when Ms G’s is rammed on a Friday night and you’re in need of a cocktail and a bite to eat before a spot of theatre-going fun (i.e. The Darlinghurst Theatre)? Well….
Last Friday night we tried Lotus in Potts Point – another of the Merivale Group’s bar-restaurants and, like the more recent Ms G’s, also a Dan Hong establishment.
We were keen to eat, so we headed for the restaurant rather than the cocktail bar. Both are clean and crisply attired with just a touch of glam.
As we were pre-theatre customers (notorious early eaters) we went for the Sunset Menu and I swiftly ordered a cocktail from their Lotus favourites selection.
Being a pomegranate fan (rather than just lazy and picking
the one at the top of the menu – I promise), I went for a Pomegranate 2nd:
Pomegranate 2nd at Lotus
pomegranate 2nd
plymouth gin
pomegranate syrup
passionfruit
mint
It was quite dark in the Lotus den and the images aren’t all that, but it was cleanly and swiftly presented and very smooth. My guess is that the passionfruit is there to act as an acidic balancer to the sweetness of the pomegranate syrup, but to be fair I couldn’t really taste it. It was rather sweet and, while I was expecting sweetness (which is an unusual choice for me, as I normally go for something with a more acidic edge); I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so sweet.
It was most definitely pretty and for its sweetness it remains a delicate drink. Next time I’ll be having it with my dessert!
Here’s what I missed:
10 by charlie
tanqueray gin, martini rosso, maraschino
liqueur, rhubarb syrup, dehydrated rhubarb chips
burnt orange margarita
herradura silver tequila, lemon and lime
juice, home made caramelised orange and vanilla syrup
de rigueur
chivas whisky, grapefruit juice, honey,
lemon, angostura bitters, dehydrated lemon
hoffman house fizz
tanqueray gin, maraschino liqueur, lemon
juice, sweetened cream, orange juice, soda
The last two are from a menu that Lotus categorises as: for bartenders / the historians – dedicated to a new breed of ‘bartenders/historians/nerdy bartenders’.
There’s plenty on the cocktail menu to explore and, while the food was certainly enjoyable, it wasn’t amazing, or perhaps it’s the concept of eating a ‘cheeseburger’ without a knife and fork encased in a bun that tastes like something straight out of MacDonald’s that didn’t quite do it for me. Don’t get me wrong it tasted good, just too playful a concept for the straight-laced surroundings and impeccable wait service with which it was delivered.
The cocktail menu is too good-looking not to make a return journey to Lotus, but I’m thinking it’s straight to the bar this time.
