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
