Lotus

6.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  4      Value  5     

The good: the food is very tasty. It has a lovely fusion menu. You won't get the usual viet/thai fare here and so it makes for a nice change from the usual contenders in the area. The only real downside is that service is slooooooow. I am hoping that as they get a little busier they'll invest in another chef/ kitchen hand and another waiter. Otherwise it was a very pleasant experience for something different in Marrickville.

Feb 28, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Excellent food. Excellent service, the waitress just told to relax and enjoy talking with our friends even after we had finished our meal. We were given advice on the menu and our choices to ensure what we ordered complimented each other.

Feb 19, 2012 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

We have been twice to this restaurant and had great service on both occasions which were a wednesday evening and a Sunday lunch. The place doesn't promote itself as Vietnamese so it shouldn't be your expectation when going. As the waitstaff kindly explained, it is a fusion menu with the chef putting his own emphasis on the flavours. We thoroughly enjoyed our food. We have tried the chicken rendang, Bo luc lac, and the tamarind duck and they were divine.

We eat a lot of asian but you won't find many asians coming here because the menu is not distinctly traditional which is why its great for a different asian dining experience. The banana fritters for dessert were also great. We won't hesitate to come back for a third.

Feb 19, 2012 

4 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  4     

We had high hopes, we thought a new genuine Vietnamese restaurant had sprung up in Marrickville. The verdict... Average, spice and heat totally dumbed down to suit local palates... a great Asian restaurant for Aussies, they will totally love this. I don't even think the chef has been to Vietnam. My guess, Mainland Chinese. Not his fault, the audience isn't discerning enough... so he will do very well here.

Feb 07, 2012 

3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  4     

The most disgusting evening out ever! First dish took (To Share) over an hour, hello, one teaspoon of beef each! The next an hour later etc. we ask for everything to be served together, were all starving. Rice came last, two and a half hours into the meal absolutely appalling!

Feb 05, 2012 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  8     

We tried out Lotus after reading good things, and had a good meal. The only let down was the inexperienced service and the long waits for food delivery.

We ordered 3 mains and 1 veggie dish, and got the Bo Luc Lac (beef and onion in soy based sauce) in under 5 minutes. It was tasty, the meat was very tender, but it wasn't a knockout.

We then had to wait for probably 30-40 minutes for the next dish of soft shell crab, which was solid, but a little too salty and lacking in flavour other than the basic sweet chilli sauce. We then got the chilli jam broccoli and the crispy skin duck. We had to wait as our requests for hot rice failed until a second attempt (it had gone cold in the 40 minutes since we received it).

I thought the duck was the highlight of the meal, the tamarind sauce perfectly sweet without overdoing it, with a good proportion of duck meat and crispy skin for the price. The chilli jam with the broccoli was also a highlight.

For desserts we shared the banana fritter (actually a deep fried whole banana), and the chocolate truffle. Servings were on the small side, but both were tasty, and only around $7 each so no complaints.

Aside from needing to speed up in the kitchen (they were never full yet there were lengthy waits), they could use some more experience on the floor. We had a dessert plate dropped on delivery, we had to get up and walk to the counter to ask for things on occasion, and some orders disappeared, but the service was always friendly and well meaning.

The room could definitely use some soft furnishings/hangings to cut the noise as some have suggested, it is all tiles and concrete at present. All up a good find, good quality fresh food and a solid take away option.

Jan 25, 2012 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  9     

Came here with a friend for a catch up over dinner after reading great reviews.
I was very happy with the food, the place was empty on arrival at 6:30pm on a Wednesday but over half full by the time we left.

Bad points - only one waitperson, absolutely lovely and qualified but completely run off her feet all night. Our many finished, dirty plates all sat on the table after dinner for well over an hour while we continued to chat, and were only cleared after we asked them to be and sought dessert. They need to cough up for a second waitperson if their popularity is growing. Also the place gets way too loud even with a few people so they need to look at some furnishings to absorb the sound.

Good points - Green Papaya Salad, Sang Choy Bow, Bo Luc Lac, Crispy Skin Duck, Banana Fritter - divine! All meals came out promptly, food was delicious and fresh, and paying just a couple dollars extra compared to other local places results in getting a much finer quality cuisine, taste and presentation. It's nicely decorated and feels intimate without being dark great for dates or groups, not sure about kids with the noise factor, if they could take care of that it would be a much more pleasant place to spend an evening.

I'm a local so I'm stoked they're in town and can't wait to go back and try more on the menu.

Jan 19, 2012 

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  7     

Came on a good review in smh. Food was great. We had pork belly and green papaya salad (excellent). Braised duck (really tasty) and salt/pepper soft shell crab. All up, food lived up to expectation. Unfortunately, the service did not.

Probably had a lot to do with one waitress servicing a 3/4 full restaurant on a wed night - unexpected business due to favorable smh review? I'd like to give them benefit of the doubt: ordered rice, never came - I can live with that. Ordering dessert, waiting half an hr; never came. Pretty disappointing end to the night. More disappointing was waiting more for the bill, only to find aforementioned items included, despite never being delivered. Hey, not good enough, ya know. Tarnished a good night.

Jan 18, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Amazing food and attentive service. Three of us ate there, and all three of us were praising the food all night. We had the dumplings and prawn skewers for starters. Both were fine starters. Pork Belly and Papaya Salad was a refreshing dish to share. Chicken Rendang was polished off so no sauce was left, very tasty! The Bo Luc Lac was tender and flavoursome. The tamarind and chili duck was the highlight of the meal, it was crispy on the edges, soft on the insides, and scrumptious all round! Cannot wait to go back for the duck!

Ambience was nice and relaxing, very different from most other Marrickville establishments. Could happily bring a date for a romantic night. For the quality of the food, the value is superb! Not as cheap as other Marrickville asian restaurants, but the quality of the food leaves them for dead. Service was attentive and friendly. Thanks for a great night!

Oct 05, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Absolutely love Lotus restaurant. As a coeliac (gluten free) it can be really difficult to eat out and Lotus cater brilliantly for gluten free needs. They can amend dishes to suit or advise which ones are already gluten free. The Pad Thai is delicious. All of the dishes we've had there have been the freshest tastiest Asian food we've had at a restaurant.

Sep 12, 2011