Asian Mothers Are The Best Mothers?
Ms G’s is also not your mum’s regular local Chinese restaurant.
There’s a cryptic glowing “six two one” scrawled pink neon sign on a wall. Some among us would know that with those three numbers the name Ms G’s is a pun on the notorious flavour enhancer MSG. Ms G’s is a pan Asian eatery where the menu proudly proclaims ”Asian mums are the best mums” and it’s no coincidence that I’ve brought my mother here this evening. The decor is semi rustic and there are four floors. There are booths in the lower floor and tables on the upper floor and the middle floor in which you enter on has some tables and a bar and on the bottom level is the kitchen.
As I mentioned, this is also not your mum’s regular local Chinese restaurant.
Actually it is Lotus chef’s Dan Hong’s new restaurant and there he is in the kitchen flipping pans and bringing up plates. The staff are are numerous with svelte young girls and guys. During the night we spot Flying Fish chef Peter Kuruvita dining there with his brood and is that Elvis Abrahanowicz from Porteno that whizzes past down the stairs into the kitchen? Matchbox cars line the tops of booths, a dinosaur sits in front of the speakers and at each table there is a stainless steel cutlery and sauce holder (we’re just missing the tissue boxes!). Amongst the chopsticks and forks and spoons there are colourful thick bubble tea straws so we take the cue and order a bubble tea cocktail.
Pina ‘Pearls’ Colada $14
We asked the waitress whether there were bubble tea drinks and she tells us that the cocktails fall into two categories: packaged (that is in a plastic cup with the Ms G logo on the sealed plastic cover) and the unpackaged which we presume to be cocktails of the more regular variety. She tells is that the Pine Pearls Colada has pearl bubbles in it. It arrives with a cute Ms G cartoon figure on top and features Appleton VX & Havana Club Blanco rum, pineapple, coconut, yogurt sorbet, green pearls and a lot of crushed ice. It’s pleasant with overtones of coconut, rum and pineapple although we were hoping for the fat tapioca pearl balls that you suck up the straw with a suction sound that echoes through your ears. These were the small sago balls and didn’t really require the large bubble tea straws.
Mini bánh mì- crisp pork belly or chicken katsu $6 each ($24 total)
We ordered a couple of each of the bánh mì. They’re small dinner roll sized rolls filled with a crispy chicken katsu or a pork belly with the requisite pate, cucumber slices, carrot shreds, herbs and onion. I particularly like the crisp and crunchy chicken katsu one although there were the inevitable price and size comparisons between these bánh mì and the ones at a takeaway shop which happens if you bring you Asian mother and family to dinner. You can get a much bigger bánh mì for the same price but they won’t of course have chicken katsu or crisp pork belly inside.
Vietnamese steak tartare, prawn crackers $18
Mr NQN loves steak tartare and this Vietnamese version comes with prawn crackers instead of the thin crunchy crouton pieces. We break the yolk around it which gives the steak a creaminess and the strong seasoning here is of fried eschallots.
Prawn toast, yuzu aioli, herbs $14
The prawn toast was my mother’s favourite with an earth shattering crunchiness from the buttery toasted sourdough. It is generously topped with mint, spring onions and coriander and a distinct yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit that is a cross between a mandarin and lemon) mayonnaise. And although this is usually served in four pieces we appreciated the fact that the kitchen took note that there were five of us and cut this into five pieces.
Fried baby chicken, kimchi mayonnaise whole $30
The fried baby chicken is portioned out into eight pieces and is piping hot and crunchy and well paired with the kim chi mayonnaise which has that distinct kim chi flavour.
Egg noodles with XO sauce, braised duck, soft poached egg $16
These egg noodles are something that my mother used to cook us a lot. Here they come out with an XO sauce, soft braised duck and a soft poached eggs and herbs and the waitress tells us that the chef recommends that everything is stirred up together. The egg yolk makes this very creamy and it pairs well with the yolk coated noodles and braised duck although I don’t taste much of the distinctive XO sauce which usually imparts such a fabulous and spicy flavour.
Braised pork belly “Hue Style”, konnyaku noodles, lemongrass, chilli broth $24
The braised pork belly comes out in three gelatinously wobbly rectangles of meat and fat with three bundles of konnyaku noodles which are those slightly bizarre wobbly noodles made out of the konjac plant that are high in fibre with zero calories (and they are naturally flavourless except for the flavour the liquid is stored in-it’s great diet food!). Anyway, I digressed, the konnyaku noodles sit in a lemongrass and chilli brother highlights with kaffir lime leaves and I find this best if you get some of the broth with the pork belly as it can be a bit plain without it.
Crispy spiced tofu and fried eggs, cherry tomatoes, coriander, Thai basil $21
The last savoury dish is a simple dish with two sunny side up fried eggs, spiced tofu cubes, heirloom tomatoes and whole basil leaves. Despite it crossing all sorts of cuisines, it is actually very good together, especially given how fantastic the tomatoes are and again the egg yolk acts as a creamy dressing.
“Stoner’s Delight” banana ice cream,chocolate, rice bubbles, pretzel, peanut brittle, marshmallow $12
It’s definitely not your usual Chinese restaurant when the dessert menu sounds enticing and offers more than deep fried ice cream with a choice of three toppings. And our Chinese mother definitely doesn’t know what a stoner is as we watch her read the menu brow furrowed asking
“What is a stoner?” she asks looking at us curiously.
“A stonemason” Blythe and I reply closing the subject.
The interestingly named “Stoner’s Delight” is a mixture of banana ice cream (and it is real banana ice cream-yay!), pieces of rice bubble and chocolate slice, pretzel and shards of peanut brittle and toasted passionfruit marshmallow. It is just the right mix of crunchy, sweet, tart, melting and soft and would make a stoner even out of my mother.
“Jam Doughnut” cinnamon doughnut ice cream, raspberry jelly $12
The “Jam Doughnut” comes out looking like an ice cream sundae with little curls on top. There are scoops of cinnamon ice cream, mountains of whipped cream, raspberry sauce and then discs of jam doughnut holes that have been sliced and then crisped so they are like sweet cinnamoney croutons. Wacky stuff but it works.
Pandan chiffon cake, strawberries, coconut sorbet $12
I must admit I thought that this looked like way too much things on one plate. But I was wrong and we end up fighting over the last scraps of this dessert. The pandan chiffon cake has a slightly crunchy glazed caramel top, diced strawberries and sits in coconut sago with a scoop of coconut sorbet on top. And just like in my mother’s kitchen my sister and I fight for the last bits.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you go out to dinner with your mother often? And who chooses where you eat?
Ms G’s
155 Victoria Rd, Potts Point, NSW
Tel: + 61 (02) 8313 1000
Open Monday to Sunday for dinner, Lunch Friday to Sunday
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50 Comments | Add your own
What an unusual restaurant! You always find the most interesting places to eat, Lorraine!
I must go back for that chiffon cake!
I’m yet to have a mini burger
I love having a meal with my mother. It is usually a lazy long lunch
This is such an “different” restaurant! The cartoon figure on the menu is so cute!
The desserts are a littl eout there but it is nice that they are unique
What a unique variety of dishes!!! Mum and I dotn go out for dinner too often (as she lives interstate) but I guess I am normally the one who chooses where to go
What a fun place, it looks like it’s full of character! The food looks pretty delicious, especially the prawn toast…your description of its buttery toasted sourdough hooked me in (and I think the mint on top is a great addition)!
Sounds like a fun place. I like the Chinese prints on the menus, and love the donut sundae. I go out with my mother often when I am at home – she chooses where we go most of the time.
I wish I could take my mother to lunch, but unfortunately I can’t since she passed away 7 years ago.
i do often go out with my mum for dinner, lunch and brekkie to we make a regular thing of it, having tried many fab places. We also went on a trip to New York together in which we tried many exciting and hip resturants including that of Bobbie Flay. Our most memorbable experience by far is the sliders which we were having sometimes 3 times a day…Mum is constantly dreaming of them and claims there are none as good in Sydney as they are in the US but after seeing the above photo of Ms G’s Mini bánh mì- crisp pork belly this is definently going on our must try list! ill let you know how they fair in comparison!
Oooh baby, I want to go here so much! It all looks GREAT!
Looks amazing, I love Dan Hong’s food at Lotus, so this is a must try!
Ok. This looks fantastic. Can’t wait to try!
I love the quirkiness of this place. I would go just for the ambiance.
My mum loves too far away, but when we do get together, I do all the cooking, and she does the washing up. Win, win situation.
Oh my, I can see myself totally liking this restaurant! The Stoner’s Delight sounds soooo yummy!! I agree it’s definitely not the usual Chinese restaurant.
My mother’s a good cook and my father’s picky so…no, unfortunately I don’t get to go out with my mother to dine very often. Since my father’s picky, he usually gets the pick. Tis a sad life…:P
Fab looking restaurant. Shall definitely give it a go – give me any kind of good Asian food particularly Viet or japanese and I’m happy. And I go out with my mum for lunch and dinner a lot and she always trusts me to choose the place
i have been wanting to go here for a while. looks even better than i imagined.
This place looks great
especially the food. I do go out to lunch with my Mum every now and then, and I usually get to pick the place 
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!
its awesome isnt it?
i do dine with my mother often! i love it! so does she
My mum is chinese too, but everytime we go out to eat she only wants to eat asain! I’d like to take her to this place but I think she would complain about the portion sizes and the price and just be grumpy all night…lol
I went to Ms G’s with friends over the Christmas break and I loved it. The bubble tea inspired cocktails are delicious. We also had a salad called Buddha’s Delight (I think) that was incredible. Can’t wait to go again.
Mom & I dine out together every week, its out thing. We always take turns picking the restaurant, their are enough places around town for us to dine in a different venue every night for a year.
Lorraine, this place looks wonderful! Different with a bit of spunk about it. Me likey!
This looks so different to Dan’s other restaurant. How quirky and fun! Must visit. Won’t take my mum there though…she thinks korean food is the best food…lol!
My mum and I have started a tradition of going out for afternoon tea together
I’m on the hunt for places in Canberra with good desserts for such occasions! As a result, this post physically hurts me… those desserts, Lorraine! I’m dying here! 
I love nothing better than taking my mother out for dinner. I always get to choose where we go! I think it is cause i go out more often that she trusts my judgment
I absolutely loved it here. Can’t wait to go back! Disappointed that the pearls aren’t the big chewy ones though.
I have been eagerly anticipating the opening of this restaurant! Great post, good to see the prices are quite reasonable too- yay!!!
I often dine with my mum and I usually decide where we eat :-p
I am in love with mini sliders, so the second I saw the mini banh mi, I knew that’s what I would have ordered!
I don’t go out with my Mum because she unfortunately lives about 6 hours away from me.
I like the sound of the steak tartare and the desserts look mighty impressive
Ms G’s looks really interesting! I have to admit that Potts Point isn’t a place I visit very often (in fact, I think I’ve only been there twice!), but I may have to convince somebody to accompany me one day
Seeing as I still live with my parents, I have a meal with my mum practically every day! Going out to dinner with mum is another story – neither of us works, so we don’t have the money to eat out, but last weekend we were in Melbourne together, so we got to eat out every lunch & dinner. We mutually decided on where we’d eat.
Oh the pina “pearls colada is just so cute, will have to go just to order that. Well the food looks wonderful too.
I’ve heard good things about this place…it’s on my hit list for sometime this year. Everything looks great – sure seems like Chinese mothers are the best kind to have.
Yet another reason to come back to Sydney! Love the look of the tartare with prawn crackers- there was a very similar dish at Ma Peche in NYC that I LOVED….Beautiful pictures, as always.
I wish I could take my Nana there! Mmm those bánh mì look fabulous. As for the restaurant, I like the name, the contemporary look, and the vintage style menus! How very cool.
I take my Mum out to lunch now and then. We usually go to places that serve good tea, salads or quiches. Mum’s very health conscious (which sometimes is no fun!)
That’s hectic. My sister has been here but alas I have not. Might have to put it on the list………… once I get paid that is
I have had Ms G’s earmarked for a while but it’s been too hectic over the silly season with o/s visitors coming and going, just haven’t had the chance. I’m chomping at the bit now that you’ve reviewed it Lorraine, dishes look great but hubby won’t like all that runny egg on some of them.lol
My poor mum is not very mobile and is also extremely picky when it comes to dining out. She’s always wondering how clean the kitchen is
I love everything about it: food, aesthetic, and the line about Asian mothers!
My mom and I rarely go out to dinner together. We do lunch every other weekend and we try new restaurants in the process.
Mini bahn mi – aw so cute!
Wow, the food looks incredibly interesting !
This place looks so delightful; makes me wish I didn’t live on the other side of the world!
My mother, bless her heart, is not a very adventuresome eater, and definitely grew up on the processed food of the 1950s. She finds most ethnic food too exotic for her palate, so whenever we eat out she typically veers toward some (somewhat depressing, to me) “safe” options: Red-sauce Italian joints, American chain restaurants (Chili’s, Panera Bread, Applebee’s) or diners.
I did manage to convince her to try Indian food when we were traveling together in London, though, which was a major victory. I knew that chicken tikka masala would be a pretty safe bet!
Love the name, very clever
I love the old school twist in this restaurant.
“Asian mothers are the best mothers” lol!
i love the retro feel of this place by just looking at the photos.. i am just craving for some of that noodles right now too. looks so yummy!
I’m from Melbourne and a food critic friend took me here as one of the latest hot-thing Sydney restaurants. On arrival, it was very promising. I loved the decor, ambience and little quirks (although not sold on the disposable cocktail cups, a gimick with no environmenal concern) and you described it well.
I was, however, bitterly dissappointed with the food which was very underwhelming. I was especially shocked at the $21 price tag for “crispy” tofu, unripe and unsophisticated chunks of tomatoes and herbs with no skill employed in their preparation. This dish costs more than the duck – which I’m told is the signature dish – and was amazingly bland for the price tag and reputation of the chefs.
Kinda felt like I had to share that because if the chefs read this then they can improve the dish. From recollection it was the only vegetarian option (could be wrong here) and this is a very dissappointing only option for a group of diners who are not such the minority anymore.
I have seen quite a few posts on this place recently and I really wish I was living in Sydney so I could go! Although I expect it to be quite popular at the moment, so I am happy to wait until the hype dies down.
stoner’s delight–ha! also, i don’t think anyone would argue if i said that egg yolks are perhaps the most photogenic food ever.
Hey Lorraine – just catching up on the NQN posts that i missed while i was travelling. First off – happy new year
Ms G’s is from the looks and sound of it – definitely my kind of place! kicking myself now for cancelling plans to go there last weekend!
I love dining out with my mother dearest – she always suggests places to visit for my blog. She actually told me recently that we should try Ms G’s as “Miss G” is a nickname she gave me when I was younger
great review!
Wow – looks good! The desserts look great, and that tofu dish looks a lot like insalata caprese.
I don’t eat out with mum much – she often doesn’t approve of the prices we often pay for food…
Happy (very belated) new year! So many posts of yours to catch up on but as I’m going here tonight I had to read at least this one. Looking forward to that fried chicken and the Vietnamese steak tartare looks scrumptious too!
Finally, we(me and my friends) checked out this restaurant and guess what? everyone LOVED this place!!! I managed us to be a group of four so that we can try a range of dishes. Our favorites were of course the famous Mini bánh mì- crisp pork belly or chicken katsu and Specialty lamb noodles.
However, if we go out we, me& my sister, often decide where to eat, mostly the person paying the meal is in the position though he he.
My mother prefers home cooked meals so most of time we eat her loving meals and yes she is a fantastic cook
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