Ms. G’s – Potts Point

Bianca: Dan Hong is one of those ridiculously cool cats that manages to meld the best of progressive Asian flavours with a bold, Western twist. And the excitement for dining at Ms. G’s was very high.

Firstly and someone needs to say it, my least favourite part about coming to Potts Point is the parking, someone needs to fix that situ pronto.

Ms G’s quasi doubles as a watering hole with a broad cocktail and wine list but let’s not kid ourselves, we’re all here for the food.

After Michael’s (I’m still Hungry’s) post I had a good idea as to which dishes to order and which to avoid. And having to be told to scale down the ordering from the wait staff is truly a shameful moment. It’s all for the ‘cause’.

Alcohol wise we couldn’t help ourselves – Alex with Ms G’s Famous Yuzu Slushee $15 which is probably better suited for a hot summer’s day opposed to the Antarctic conditions of our recent visit. I’m mainly drawn to rum cocktails because I’m a hack and I like tiki serving-ware – none to be found here but the Pirates Palm $16 with its potent mixture of chilli and kaffir lime exited and challenged the palate with each sip.

The Cheeseburger Spring roll $6ea was a no brainer. And in all honesty tasted exactly like a Maccas cheeseburger. It was in essence pure ‘cheeseburger’ with a crispy spring roll casing. I actually wouldn’t shy away from calling these revelatory. You could taste the beef, the cheese, the pickle and the ketchup/mustard.

We then opted for one each of the Mini banh mi – The Crispy Pork Belly & Chicken Katsu $6.50. Perhaps my mistake was in eating the spring roll first, I was simply blown away by the preceding entrée that mostly everything fell a little flat. I preferred the pork over the chicken, with the pork lusciously juicy but lacking that real ‘crunch’ that the menu hinted at. The chicken was missing a bit of sauce in my few bites. And I say that because the pork belly leached quite a bit of liquid/sauce. The chicken not so much. I also found the damper style roll far too dry and each bite did feel overwhelmingly ‘bready’.

If I did have one recommendation it would be to go with a group, I had major menu FOMO and felt with each decision I was comprising on something else, namely the #eggplant fiasco… My point, round-up some friends.

I was immediately drawn to the Burrata, “strange flavour style” – w/sesame sauce, chilli oil, spinach and peanuts $20. Strange is, well…apt. The Italian in me is instantaneously drawn to most forms of dairy. But dairy as a feature ingredient at an Asian restaurant? It’s odd right? Strange as it may be, this dish sings. The fiery red tinge gives the illusion that it’s going to burn but it wasn’t as spicy as we were anticipating. It was so weird I was almost searching for a slice of bread to mop up the cream and sauce, now that truly is the wog coming out.

Rounding out the entrées was a serving of the Spicy Pork Gyoza’s, these were an ample compromise after #eggplantgate with pops of herbs and lemon grass shining through.

After seeing it hit the table next to us, we knew instantly that we had to order Knuckle time – crispy pork knuckle, apple kimchi, sticky sauce, lettuce cups (for two) $41. Half of the fun is hoeing into the pork, pulling apart luscious shreds from the bone. The contrast in flavours and texures within the dish is mind-blowing, gorgeously soft and tender, as well as the ‘burnt’ ends… then mixed in with the crispy skin it was a joy to eat. The tartness of the apple kimchi worked well to cut through the richness. Shared between 2 as well as entrees and dessert was a bit of a stretch. So again I reiterate, go with a group!

And to finish, no questions as to what we ordered. The much revered Stoners Delight part 3 – w/doughnut ice-cream, peanut dulce de leche, peanut & pretzel brittle, crispy bacon, mars bar brownie, raspberry curd, potato chips and deep-fried Nutella $16. Honestly where does one start…? In one word, EPIC! My view was vastly different to Alex’s. He did not think it was cohesive whatsoever. I am a major sugar freak and every element in this dish appealed to me on so many levels. It was crispy and soft, sweet and salty, hot and cold. Was it over the top? Of course but that’s the point. Perhaps it is excess bordering on the ridiculous but it was the one dessert that was consistently finished throughout the restaurant. The peanut & pretzel brittle was my favourite element on the plate but it was honestly too hard to choose.

Its fun, the food is spectacular, the fit-out is cool, the parking is shit – Basically, I can’t wait to go back!

Bianca

Photos by Alex