Madame Shanghai is part of the Lotus Dining Group which runs Chinese restaurants under the Lotus banner at Galeries Victoria, Barangaroo and the Chinese Gardens. It’s situated on College Street and the terrace has great views over the park.
The food is described as contemporary Chinese with more of a street food focus than their other restaurants.
The decor is intended to evoke 1930s Shanghai. Think opulent and glamorous, with lots of velvet and plush carpet in shades of jade and gold.
Drinks
There are some innovative cocktails as well as takes on some old classics. My friend orders the Wai Tan which is made with rum, green apple, orgeat and cinnamon. He declares it a winner. I’d say it’s worth ordering just for the smoking cinnamon stick.
The wine list is incredibly extensive. There are 16 wines by the glass, 14 half bottles and more than150 wines by the bottle.
I tried a French Semillion / Sav Blanc and a Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley. At $16 and $17 for a glass not exactly cheap but pretty similar to what you pay at most higher end restaurants in Sydney and both very drinkable.
Food
There are so many things on the menu which look good that we’re struggling to make up our minds and so we order the 10 course chef’s selection.
At $69 per person we are expecting each course to be pretty tiny, but this definitely wasn’t the case. If you’re planning on ordering this menu, wear loose clothing.
First course was vegetarian San Choi Bao made with asparagus, pickled turnip and spiced pumpkin seed. I’m not normally a fan of vegetarian food but this was full of flavour and a good bit of crunch and I really enjoyed it.
Next up was vegetable and pork dumplings. I’d put these in the OK but not great category. The filling on the vegetable dumplings in particular was pretty dry. Definitely not the quality you’d get at Din Tai Fung. Which is kind of strange given that the Lotus Group runs a dumpling bar.
The dumplings were followed by Hot and Numbing Chicken Ribs with dry jerk sauce. These were much better, the jerk sauce packing a good punch.
Hot and Numbing Chicken Ribs
This was followed by Tempura Jasmine Smoked Fish with 5 Spice. I was definitely not a fan of this one. The batter wasn’t light like tempura and because the fish was smoked it had a very strong fishy flavour. I wouldn’t order this one unless you a very big seafood fan.
Lamb Cutlets with Miso Butter
The next course is Grilled Lamb Cutlets wih miso butter, cumin and crispy salt bush. Luckily there is only one cutlet each as we’re already full and there are still 5 courses to go. The lamb cutlets are a hit with both of us although given the absence of cutlery the only way to eat them is with our fingers which does feel a bit strange.
The verdict on the salt bush is not so positive, it’s very hard to batter and deep fry something so small without it being overwhelmed. We both try a few pieces then leave the rest.
Steamed Chinese Broccoli
The next 3 savoury courses come out together. Steamed Barramundi Fillet with chilli, garlic and pickled mustard greens, Steamed Chinese Broccoli with soy and red wine sauce and Steamed Rice. The barramundi is probably my dish of the night. It’s perfectly steamed and a very pleasant balance to the fried dishes that have preceded it.
The last savoury course is Sticky Pork Hock with lemon aspen and tamarind. It seems like the pork has been deep fried so again his one’s a bit heavy for me.
Dessert is a dish that doesn’t appear on the menu. I won’t ruin the surprise, but it’s definitely not a peach.
Overall I have mixed feelings about the experience. I loved the opulent decor. The service was great and the banquet amazing value for the amount of food we got. I really enjoyed some of the dishes but not all.
I tend to eat at Asian restaurants a lot because I enjoy fresh, light, healthy food. The dishes that didn’t appeal so much to me were the ones which were deep fried, which is probably more reflective of my taste than a fault of the restaurant. The dishes that I enjoyed and the other positives are enough to make me want to go back, this time ordering from the a la carte menu.
https://www.lotusdining.com.au/restaurant/madame-shanghai/
Address
18 College Street,
Darlinghurst 2010