There’s no junk to be found at this new Potts Point offering
Just when you thought you knew chef Dan Hong, he comes out with a red-hot, left-of-field doozy of a new restaurant with all the punk and sass we always wished for at Lotus, combined with some damn fine cooking. He and head chef Jowett Yu are at the helm of Ms G’s – the mod- Asian restaurant you can’t afford not to be at, in and around.
Ignore the name (M.S.G – geddit?) and ignore the deliberately ‘street’ interior design work. But whatever you do, don’t ignore what Hong and Yu are putting on the plate because it’s exciting, fresh and exactly what Sydney needs. Theirs is a menu of snappy flavours and big spicy ideas. We’d go so far as to say it was the most exciting thing that’s opened in ages, if Duke hadn’t beaten them to the punch a few months ago.
Start with a drink in the upstairs bar where they’re shaking up what looks on paper to be a bunch of very loopy, bubble tea-inspired drinks. And yes, they even have the special sealing machine and the big straws. The Blue Bottle (Plymouth gin, pineapple, Aeroplane jelly, housemade lemonade) is a bit of a fizzer but we’ll keep you posted after we’ve gone back for a few more.
Or just forget the cocktails and drink the beer and the sake. There’s a selection of five on offer but try the Miyozakura panda cup or he Akishika Bambi cup – 180ml sealed glasses printed with gambolling pandas and fawns – for the cute factor alone. After you’ve finished, you even get to keep the cup! Beer-wise, the list runs the gamut of crisp, sessionable names such as Asahi, Singha and Yebisu, not to mention longies of Coopers Pale. No doubt, though, you’re after the eats. You’d be very wise to start with the fried chicken wings and legs served with a little bowl of kim chi flavoured mayonnaise. Or go directly to the mini banh mi – tiny baguettes filled with either fried chicken or slow-cooked-then-fried pieces of pork belly slathered in pate, mayo, and dressed with pickled shreds of carrot and coriander. Do not pass go without the grilled corn on the cob covered with parmesan, mayo and squeezed with lime at the table.
It’d be easy enough to make a meal of these little snacky things if you wanted, especially if you go the way of the raw section of the menu with the likes of tender little scallops dressed with a kind of miso mayo they’re calling miso ranch dressing, accessorised with little slivers of dried seaweed. And then there’s the beef tartare topped with a raw egg yolk with a side of prawn crackers. Mix the egg in the mince then scoop up with the cracker. Snap, crackle and pop indeed.
The bigger noodle dishes are worth a crack too, with the likes of shredded duck breast in egg noodles, covered in Yu’s nan’s omemade XO sauce and topped with a slow-cooked egg. It’s got that incredibly potent muskiness to it, enriched by the egg and sweetened by the duck. Or there are the wide, silken ribbons of rice noodles stir fried with chunks of wagyu beef served with a kind of vermicelli salad of pickled carrot, peanuts, lots of chilli and herbs. We’re big fans of the pork belly served ‘hue style’ with an almost medicinal chilli broth, where you shred the meat up and mix it in with konyaku noodles, which are glass noodles tied into knots.
On the subject of sweet stuff, the ‘Stoner’s Delight’ sounds like the dessert you’d be crazy not to order (ever seen the website ‘This Is Why You’re Fat?’ This is why: banana ice cream, rice bubbles, bits of crumbled pretzel, chocolate and caramel and peanut brittle and marshmallow. All on one plate). But it’s the pandan chiffon cake – a very light pandan-flavoured sponge with coconut sorbet and strawberries – that really hits the mark. It’s not just the kitchen swinging with both fists, either. On the floor it’s Madeline Nieuwenhuizen, fresh from running the troops at Aria, and Byron Woolfrey from Bentley Restaurant and Bar, so no matter which way you turn, you’re pretty much surrounded by uncut, A-grade talent.
It’s an exciting time to be eating right now. We wait, forks poised, in hungry anticipation for whatever Sydney’s brightest young food talents throw at us next.
BAR REVIEW
Don’t think of the upstairs bar at this mod-Asian eatery as a waiting area for the restaurant; think of it as a bar proper. Order a Kawaii L’ritz – a fizzy, refreshing mix of trouble. El Jimador tequila is joined by a slug of sloe gin, lemon and peach juice and topped with sparkling wine. It’s an excellent way to work up to a few snacks like DIY lamb sang choi bau (super spicy lamb bits, mixed with sambal, nuts and a pile of herbs. Scoop it all up in a lettuce cup) or chicken chops – meaty little fried chicken wings. Or how about a yuzu slushy? It’s a tart, icy slush-up of vodka, limoncello, yuzu juice and bitters. The icy beverage is excellent with a side of deep-fried lamb sweetbreads. If you’ve ordered more food than can possibly fit on the tiny bar stools, staff might be nice enough to pull over a few cases of Vietnamese beer to rest your barside picnic. Speaking of which, there’s no need to eat at all if you don’t feel like it. It’s totally kosher to simply hop upstairs for a few beers, a glass of Champagne or a round of shots. Ms G’s is a loud, hectic, electric place to burn a few hours and a bit of cash. It’s all hip-hop, dim lights, chilli heat and fun.
Potts Point 2011
Telephone 02 9240 3000
Price per person including drinks up to $100.00
Open Mon-Thu 5-11pm; Fri noon-midnight; Sat 5pm-1am; Sun 1-10pm
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What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
What a disappointment...the sauces in the food were very overpowering so you couldn't actually taste any of the actual food, also pricy for what you get, agree with other comments about the noise and the staff were to busy being cool to care about our comments..could have spent the same amount at China Doll and had fantastic food with service to match.....
Posted on Sun 29 Apr 2012 23:13:16
Food, ambience and service - what a shame Dan Hong's brilliant food is so badly let down by his front of house manager. The manager (v. important male in black) managed to turn what was expected to be fun pre-theatre dinner at 6pm into an extremely unpleasant and stressful dinner. Through some bolshy attitude which had him dictating a table of 6 (acknowledge no bookings) so we had arrived at 5.45pm and would be out by 7.30pm - was that we had to sit in one of the high backed booths (no natural light and very dark and claustrophobic). When we politely asked why we couldnt sit at one of the many many other EMPTY 6 seater tables in the room that were open and bathed in lots of natural light - the "manager" bluntly informed us NO - they were for tables of 4+2 - we couldnt even sit at the long communal table in natural light which was also EMPTY - very very dissappointing!!! Not one to give up I then suggested to my fellow friends - problem solved - we will split our party into a setting of 4 + 2 - fortunately we didnt have to resort to this sort of petty negotiation - as at this stage our evening was saved by out waiter "Matthew" who was brilliant - realising he was about to have a very unhappy table he quickly moved us to the 6 seater table and uttered the memorable words "guys sorry move - we are here to try and make you have a fun and enjoyable night - not to make it unpleasant"!!! So big thank you to Matthew for making an executive decision and showing some common sense when his "front of house management" are obviously so out of touch with their "customers" and way too busy preening at the front desk. So if you can handle bolshy front of house management OR can some how sneak past and get any of the brilliant floor staff to seat you then go for the food and Dan Hong's brillian cooking and infused flavours - but to be honest...would I put myself and my friends through the "no bookings - arrive early and still end up in the dark dingy booth at the back - experiece again...probably not...2 weeks earlier for a similar pre-theatre dinner the staff at Lotus (where we had a booking) still gave us a choice of just about any table in the restaurant to sit and enjoy......Dan Hong's cooking can now be tried in a number of locations - so pick one without the bolshy front of house managers!!
Posted on Sun 09 Oct 2011 15:54:37
Went on Wednesday this week to Ms G's with a Singaporean friend who rates the shredded duck in with XO sauce as the best he has tasted. Like.
Posted on Fri 03 Jun 2011 18:19:11