The overall standard of Xi'an's western restaurants is far from that of first-tier cities, and it cannot be compared with Chengdu, the gateway to the southwest. Located in the Tang Paradise, the Lotus Restaurant represents the highest level of Western cuisine in Xi'an, and is a masterpiece in terms of environment, dishes and service.
The lotus is hidden in the depths of a Tang Dynasty imitation building at the south gate of the Tang Paradise, and the main entrance can be reached through the curved bridge and lotus pond, and the exterior looks peaceful and unearthly. The restaurant has two floors, with the first floor ballroom with its own heated wine cellar and a collection of hundreds of fine wines from around the world. The second floor is divided into a hall and two side halls along the central axis, and several five-meter-high wooden turnstiles can be opened and closed at will. The dining tables are separated by a wooden screen carved with a traditional Chinese checkered pattern, and the daily noon sunlight is reflected on the ground through the lattice, giving the dining area a sense of light and shadow.
Chef Darren Chung has been in the Western cuisine industry for many years, having studied with Senior Executive Chef Kelvin Lok in Singapore for six years and later as the Head Chef of Fine dinning and Singapore garden country club, with a particular focus on French and creative Western cuisine. While the traditional French Fine Dining consists of an appetizer, appetizer, salad, soup, main course and dessert, Darren Chung has slightly modified the order of the lotus dishes into six courses: appetizer, soup, warm appetizer, main course and dessert.
The pre-dinner bread is freshly baked and the hot garlic bread is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so diners can spread the butter directly on the whole slice of bread or tear the bread into small pieces and spread the butter in the same way as in French cuisine. The best appetizer is cherry foie gras, a thin layer of cherry jelly wraps the whole dough of foie gras mousse, and the mouth is salty and fragrant, and the original fatty foie gras is very refreshing. The soup is rich in taste, the seafood soup is rich in ingredients, and the soup is thick; The bak kut tea soup has a strong medicinal flavor and is quite Nanyang characteristics; Wild mushroom soup with mushrooms and truffle oil is delicious; Creamy pumpkin soup is creamy and creamy, and it is the most classic French soup. Canadian scallops are the most popular appetizers, with pan-fried scallops with a smooth texture and served with bell pepper puree and pea puree, which is rich in flavor without being overwhelming. Several dishes are excellent in terms of the quality of the ingredients and the cooking techniques.
The main course, the Tomahawk steak, is the signature dish of Lotus Restaurant. Tomahawk steak is a rib with ribs over 30 centimeters long, and is named because it resembles a one-handed axe. Lotus's Tomahawk Steak is made from Australian M7 Wagyu beef, which has a richer flesh edge and tender meat than ordinary rib-eye steak, but each steak is about 1.5kg, which is more suitable for 3-4 people to share. In the Wagyu series, in addition to tomahawk steak, the M9 sirloin is also a sincere work. The quality of Australian Wagyu beef is divided into M1-M12 grades, M9 steak has a clear texture, rich oil, and the meat quality itself is better than that of M7 Wagyu, plus some sirloin muscles are obvious, so the taste toughness of M9 sirloin is better than that of tomahawk steak. In addition, the restaurant also serves different grades and grams of rib's eye, sirloin and filet, all of which are grilled over traditional charcoal fire, with a stable doneness, and simply served with sea salt and black pepper to maximize the original flavor of the beef.
A variety of desserts and wines perform as well as meals. If diners don't have a choice, the waiter and sommelier may want to recommend it. They have a detailed understanding of the food, not only explaining the characteristics of each meal or which wine to choose, but also sharing the drinking method and related culture, and the service is extremely professional.
All the staff in the restaurant are well-trained, and the whole process of guidance, seating, ordering, serving and removing dishes is sincere and considerate without being humble or arrogant. Each floor has a cloaking area with a cloaking area, and a dedicated person is responsible for hanging and sorting customers' clothes. The slight disadvantage is that the restaurant menu is seriously damaged, and many pages have been pasted many times, which is extremely inconsistent with the restaurant's temperament, which will have a certain impact on the dining experience.
