Wow, a fun dinner that has its own unique style. Dan Hong’s take on modern Vietnamese creates a beautiful feast. Dont forget to order the ‘Stoners Delight’

ADDRESS: 55 Victoria St, Potts Point

PHONE:  (02) 83131000

WEBSITE: www.merivale.com

OPENING:  Monday to Sunday for dinner & Friday to Sunday for Lunch

BOOKING REQUIRED:No bookings accepted unless for large groups

LEVEL OF CASHOLA REQUIRED: $$

CUISINE: Modern Vietnamese

FLICKS VERDICT:

THE “PEOPLES VERDICT”

Ms G’s is one the few restaurants that still is pumping one year on. Great reviews are sprawled over the internet.

IT’S REVIEW TIME!

Ms G’s is a fantastic spot for a casual dinner with friends. One step inside, and you are in for a fun night.  The atmosphere is lively, even for a Wednesday evening.
They  do not take bookings which means you need to be there early to get a table straight away. If you are a little tardy it is okay as they have a bar for you to wait in which is located on the top floor.  Although small, it’s worth finding a spot as their cocktails are like no others!

You have the choice of packaged or non-packaged cocktails. The packaged cocktails look like the drinks you purchase from easy-way with one actually having the jelly pearls inside (pina colada- $14)

The restaurant is within an older style terrace which spans over 4 floors. Each level is quite small, but the space is utilised well.
Fellow foodies (Swah & Soph) and I had planned a trip to Ms G’s after experiencing ‘Milkbar Memories’ themed lunch. A rainy Wednesday night kept the large crowds away and we were lucky enough to get a table almost immediately but fortunately had time for a quick visit to the bar first. It was a different menu from last time but thankfully enough kept the famous Mini bánh mì.

I’m glad we decided to order dishes that we could share. After much deliberation we chose a selection of dishes from the menu but we all couldn’t contemplate on missing out on the famous ‘Stoner dessert’ SO WE ORDERED 2!

First off  tantalise our taste buds was the pork belly Mini bánh mìis ($6 each). Yes as good as last time! It’s funny how quick restaurants catch on to the trendy dishes. At the moment it seems like ‘Sliders’ are the new black. I still remember seeing Ms G’s recipe for the Mini bánh mìis in the Gourmet Traveller and looking at the ingredient list which nearly took up the whole page. I was excited about the possibility of maybe cooking it until I read it needed 7 days to prepare! Who would of thought those little burgers took so much effort!

Next to grace us was corn on the cob, with parmesan, lime ($4 each). These were amazing- I think I could eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner. The lime goes so well with the slightly melted parmesan!

We decided on a salad but were quite disappointed. The Heirloom tomatoes, steamed eggplant, crispy spiced tofu, Thai basil ($22) seemed to be a mix and a step away from the Asian cooking. Don’t get me wrong, it was still nice but not up to the calibre of the remainder of the dishes at Ms G’s.

Whoever says no to Sang Choy Bou on a menu. I’m glad we didn’t. It was so darn tasty! The D.I.Y Sang Choy Bou with maple chipotle chicken, lemongrass salsa ($26) had beautiful flavours that worked really well together. It had a slight spice to it and thus gave a lift  the lettuce. I can highly recommend this to anyone.

I was intrigued to see beef and not the normal duck feature in a pancake. The Grilled beef pancakes, cucumber kimchi, nuoc cham ($28) was another one of Dan Hongs fabulous dishes. I was a little upset not to find his cheeseburger spring rolls on his menu- I still am dreaming about them today.

Now for the bit we had all been waiting for- the highly talking about dessert- “Stoner’s Delight 2.0” (doughnut ice cream, peanut butter, raspberry jam, candied bacon, potato chips, mars bar slice, banana fritter $12) It was heaven on a plate. Dan managed to put all the sugary goodness into one dish! After I may have felt a little sick and high on sugar but I would do it again any day!

Ex-Lotus chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu have done an amazing job with the restaurant. It is still as popular as it was when it first opened- a recipe for success! Would highly recommend. This is the type of restaurant that makes Sydney look as good as Melbourne!

THE LOCALE, DECOR AND VIBE:

A unique decor that works really well.

LETS TALK PEOPLE POWER:

Friendly casual staff members that seem to be everywhere at once, but with it all under control.

NOM NOM NOM:

The Stoners Delight- the ingredients alone tell you that you are in for one awesome dessert

WOW FACTOR:

The pre-packaged cocktails- what a fantastic idea

FROWN FACTOR:

The salad didn’t seem to go with the remainder of the menu- serves me right for trying to be healthy.

MENU:

-Mini bánh mì- crisp pork belly or chicken katsu $6ea
-Ms G’s grilled corn on the cob, parmesan, lime (v) $4ea

-Heirloom tomatoes, steamed eggplant, crispy spiced tofu, Thai basil (v) $22

-D.I.Y Sang Choy Bou – maple chipotle chicken, lemongrass salsa $26

-Grilled beef pancakes, cucumber kimchi, nuoc cham $28

-“Stoner’s Delight 2.0” doughnut ice cream, peanut butter, raspberry jam, candied bacon, potato chips, mars bar slice, banana fritter $12