We were starving and happened to walk by Lotus East on their opening day! It's a new spot tucked in between other eateries on Greenwich Ave and their modern, sleek interior design piqued our interest. Once we stepped in, we were warmly greeted by the host/server and decided to stay and eat.
=== FOOD: 7/10 ===
We ordered egg drop soup as an appetizer. It had a great consistency. It was not too thickened or glutinous and refreshingly light, pairing well with the wonton crisps. The broth comes piping hot, and is well seasoned, leaving you feeling at home with each sip.
For our main dishes, we shared their special pineapple fried rice with shrimp and chinese eggplant with chicken. The rice, while seemingly an odd almagamation of ingredients, ended up presenting surprisingly well. The sweet and tartness of the pineapple was balanced out by the fatty, nutty cashews. However, I did wish their rice was a tad crispier and fried for a bit longer as the texture was a bit too soft all throughout. The eggplant was also a good palatable consistency, not too oily, and very mildly spicy. Not fantastic, but enjoyable enough to finish.
To end on a great note though, we thoroughly enjoyed their mango pudding. It's made in house and presents more like a flan with its smooth pudding consistency and liquid sugar on top, but alas, tastes deliciously mango. We blew through one and it was only $3. Should've gotten two!
=== AMBIANCE: 8/10 ===
Lotus East features a chic design with its beautiful logo and sign. It's small and cozy inside and is perfect for casual nights out.
=== SERVICE: 10/10 ===
Absolutely wonderful service. Our server was hosting and serving at the same time and still managed to keep our waters filled while tending to new guests. He also attentively realized we were sharing everything and provided an extra set of cutlery and plates/bowls without us even asking. Could not ask for better service.
=== OVERALL: 8/10 ===
While I have no major complaints about either dish, and the food does give authentically chinese, neither of the main dishes blew me away. Their food leans on the sweet end and it felt like it was missing some of the dynamic spice-filled flavor profile I usually hope to taste in quality chinese food. All the stars deserved for the fantastic egg drop soup, mango pudding, and service though. I totally get that this is a Day 1 review though I'd love to see this place grow in all the good ways in the coming years. I would defs come back if I had the chance and would update this review then. Thanks for reading! read more