Merivale madness: Lotus

It is a cold Thursday night in winter and 8 girls are out on the town. The wine list is 9 pages and the cocktail list bumps it out by another 5. Couple that with the $60 banquet menu, it is a recipe for schoolnighthangoverdisaster. Otherwise known as a great night out.

Until the end of July Lotus have a 6-7pm earlybird dining special where two courses is $30 and 3 courses is $39. We are too late for this, so we opt for the 8+ pax set menu consisting of NINE dishes for $60. That's right, nine. neuf. nove. chin. negen. siyam. 九. My mind is excited but my stomach knows the struggle ahead as my appetite was still MIA.

Merivale describes Lotus as "one of the jewels of Sydney's eastern suburbs... a sophisticated, award-winning bistro and cocktail bar with a reputation for outstanding service... Dan Hong's menu  marries European influences with fresh Asian flavours". Dan Hong, I am under severe European influence and some might describe me as a "fresh asian flavour". Marry me.