Madame Shanghai

by - October 09, 2017

Madame Shanghai is part of Lotus Group's latest creation. The design of the restaurant was inspired by a pre-war Shanghai look where the East meets the West. More emphasis is placed by dressing some of the staff in the traditional Chinese dress of "qipao". 

Olives Marinated in Spices (complimentary)
These warm olives had soaked up all the flavours of the different spices, and they were good to snack on.
Prawn & Calamari Dumplings $15
These dumplings had good flavours, and what we loved more was the al dente dumpling skin. It had a nice chew to it. 
Lamb Cutlets $9pp
Cumin and lamb are best friends, and this is a take on a traditional Chinese dish. The cutlets were super tender and packed with great flavours. Our joy didn't end there - it was a clever move adding that miso butter, which gave the meat extra creaminess. 
Another bonus was the tempura saltbush on the side. It has always been a favourite of ours. This Australian native bush food has a natural saltiness and fresh grassy undertones. We chewed up the crispy leaves in no time. 
Madame's Fried Rice $15
This fried rice was decent in flavour as well as in portion, certainly a staple in Chinese cuisine.
Oven Baked Oxtail Pie (s) $18
The pretty picture didn't last long. Whilst the pie was good for the photo it didn't satisfy our palates. The crust was golden brown, but the filling was overly sweet, which overpowered the other ingredients. Sorry pie, you are just not for us.
Beef Short Ribs $26
This dish was a bit of a confusing dish for us. Rather than reminding us of Shanghai flavours - which is kind of on the sweet side of Chinese cooking, it reminded us more of South-East Asian flavours. Despite these two cuisines both having distinctively sweet flavours, the use of fish sauce and mint made this dish not quite Shanghainese. 

Madames's Gold $17
Ok, this was a good way to end the meal. The mousse was smooth and chocolatey, and the peanut butter was really nutty. We also liked the cocoa nib crisp on the top. The only downside was the nut base was stale, so the nuts were no longer crunchy.

 Would we come back again? I would say yes, two bad dishes aren't enough to turn us down when every other dish on the menu still sounds pretty exciting. Besides, the dumplings and lamb were amazing, so we are going to give this place a second chance.

 One more thing that I would like to mention quickly is the service was superb at the beginning when the restaurant was quiet. However, when the restaurant started to fill up, the staff became less and less attentive. Whilst this may be expected, it's not a good way to set the bar high and then disappoint.

 Food: 7/10
Service: 6.5
Atmosphere: 8.5/10

Highlight:
  • Amazing lamb cutlets
  • Nice setting
Lowlight:
  • Overly sweet pie and rib just weren't our thing
Website: http://www.lotusdining.com.au/restaurant/madame-shanghai/
Address: 18 College St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Hours: Mon Closed
            Tue-Wed 5-11pm
            Thu-Fri 12-3pm, 5-11pm
            Sat 11am-3pm, 5-11pm
            Sun 11am-3pm, 5-9:30pm
Phone: (02) 8318 8618
Madame Shanghai Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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1 comments

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