Lotus Restaurant - Review

Woohoo my first restaurant review!!!!! On Friday I dragged my very carnivorous brother in law and good friend to Lotus along with Markus.  I have been dying to try this restaurant since we got to Perth because it was vegan mock meat heaven.  Admittedly, I like mock meat, I used to eat it more often than I do now because I found that it just would not agree with me and I put on way too much weight eating it.  So now I leave it for special occasions...like this one.

Lotus is located on James Street, a very modest little restaurant, it had plastic chairs and table covers.  On arriving we were quickly seated be the lady in charge, we were brought menus and served Chinese Tea and Water, we brought some wine with us. The menu was huge and consisted of every meat (mock) under the sun, every Chinese dish you could think of was on there from Mongolian Lamb to Chicken to even Offal. On the lady's suggestion we agreed on the banquet (even though it was a minimum of 6 and we were only 4).

The friend who came along with us looked at me a bit puzzled...asked me if I was ok eating the Satay Chicken...more than happy to play a joke I said yes.  He never realised that he was in a vegan restaurant.

Anyway the Entrees came and it was a platter of satay chicken sticks, spring rolls and deep fried wonton.  The satay sauce that accompanied the chicken was to die for and had everyone uuuuummmmming.  Following the entree was Mongolian Lamb, Prawn and Vege Stirfry, Fish Curry and Crispy fried Duck with Steamed rice.  The Mongolian lamb came out sizzling and the sauce was beautiful with little black beans and vegetables, the texture was a bit too real for me but I ate it.  The Prawn Stirfy...I have to admit I did not touch.  I am not a seafood person and from accounts at the table was a bit bland and too fishy.  Next came the fish curry, now this I was truly dubious about but I had some anyway.  I have to say that this was the best dish of the night, it was spicy, coconuty and just plain yummy.  The fish again was a bit too real, so I ate one piece and just ate the curry.  Just as we thought that we could not eat anymore out came the duck.  Now this I knew was going to be the real challenge, skin on and beautiful sauce on the top I told myself there was no way I was going to eat it.  But I tried it and to my surprise actually liked it, it was crispy the sauce was beautiful and the only thing that stopped me from devouring it was my tummy, I was so stuffed from all the food all I could eat was a couple of pieces.  Dessert was a fruit platter...which was a good thing.

All in all it was a good dinner, the meat eaters liked it and I will definitely go back.  The banquet costed us $19.95 with $1 corkage, I would suggest going on an empty stomach though, the food was very filling.  Attached to the restaurant was a supermarket and I purchased some fried chicken pieces, BBQ pork buns (very scrumptious), wontons (a bit too fishy, will not be buying this again) and some satay sticks. 

So would I recommend this restaurant...Yes, if your into your mock meat!!!!!!! and I give it 3.5 stars ;)