I finally made it! I've had Ms G's on my wish list for over a year now and was beginning to feel like one of the few people in Sydney who hadn't been to Dan Hong's popular restaurant. Last Saturday night, dinner with a friend provided the perfect opportunity to visit.
We arrived just after 6pm and the place was already packed. Not having booked we were seated at one of the micro tables just inside the door. The tables are only just big enough and I think could do with a bit of a re-design to make them more practical.
I'm not sure if it was by design or luck, but all of our dishes came out one at a time which helped manage the small table. There wouldn't have been space to fit two dishes on the table simultaneously.
To start I ordered one of the Mini pork belly bánh mì ($6) I've heard so much about. It wasn't the taste sensation I was expecting. I don't remember the pork being particularly crispy or flavoursome. All of the action was in juicy slaw sitting on top of the pork.
After asking the waitress what the mysteriously named Salad of Husband & Wife was, we decided that pigs ears might be a bit full on. Instead we opted for the “Buddha’s Delight” ($14). Described as a 'textural vegetarian salad' this was a highlight of the evening. A mix of crunchy (peanuts, cucumber, carrot) and soft (tofu, herbs) ingredients.
Our third selection was the Grilled beef pancakes, cucumber kimchi, nuoc cham ($28). The cucumber kimchi was fabulous and the sweet and spicy nuoc cham even better. However, the dish didn't work as a pancake for me. The surprisingly regular rectangles of beef were too large for a single mouthful, but not tender enough to easily bite in half. It made for rather inelegant eating.
Some fantastic flavours but a flawed concept for me. Cutting the beef in half, or using some falling apart short ribs (off the bone) might have ruined the presentation, but would make the dish a lot easier to eat.
Our final dish was the Roasted sambal barramundi ($26) and I'm pleased to report that we finished on a high. The barramundi was beautifully cooked, flaking apart and still wonderfully moist. The thick and rich sambal on top of the fish was a builder. It started with a deep tomato flavour as the chilli built in your mouth.
I was expecting to be bowled over by Ms G's after all of the good reviews and was a little disappointed that I wasn't. The sambal barramundi and Buddha's Delight salad were definite highlights, however, the beef and bánh mì disappointed slightly. I also thought that the price of the mains was a little high considering the size of the portions.
Ms G's
155 Victoria St
Potts Point
2011
you totally ordered the wrong things. firstly, you didn't order the bubble cocktails - they rock & secondly, you didn't order the prawn toast.
ReplyDeleteLaura - love the direct approach! I'll be sure to check with you next time I order! ;-)
DeleteShame it didn't live up to expectations. Don't worry I haven't been either but hearing about the ridiculous queues for the place is enough to put me a little off. Food does look good, shame about the price and portion sizes.
ReplyDeleteI imagine all the hype really built up your expectations and when you finally got there it couldn't be as good as you built up in your mind - it happens to me all the time. I've been to Ms G's twice now and really enjoyed our meals both times - you should've gone for the pigs ear dish!
ReplyDeleteExpectations and hype get me every time, I can't help myself even if I try not to get carried away.
DeleteI would have tried the pigs ears, but my dining companion was a bit less keen.
That salad looks ginormous, as does that beef for a pancake. I don't like inelegant eating unless it's stated/obvious from the beginning (ribs, crab etc)
ReplyDeleteThe salad was pretty good and at $14 it was the best value dish of the evening.
DeleteI'd stay away from the pancakes if you don't like inelegant eating. When the big slabs of beef arrived I was wondering what we were supposed to do with them!
the golden rule is to never have expectations and then you'll be delightfully surprised. i still haven't been myself and by the sounds of it i think i can still wait a bit longer perhaps. $26 for a piece of barramundi on it's own sounds pretty steep but at least it was a highlight so must be worth it then.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd enjoy when you do get around to visiting. Not sure how the restaurant will work with a baby on board? It might be best to go on one of the nights when they taking bookings so you can get a table with some more space.
DeleteI love Ms. G's as everyone knows but the beef pancakes is one dish I haven't really liked; when we had it the beef was chewy and as you said it didn't work well as a pancake wrap. The banh mi is lovely but it's not outstanding, and we found the chicken one tastier than the pork belly version. Their desserts are superb though and worth every cent.
ReplyDelete