Rock salt and pepper squid. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Thin, flaky shallot pancakes. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Dumplings stuffed with prawn and pork. Photo: Wendy Johnson

The Hainan chicken… with ginger and shallot sauce. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Madam Lu’s “signature” rendang… the beef was slow-cooked to absorb a special, rich mixture of ground spices. Photo: Wendy Johnson

“While the food at Madam Lu was worth the visit, the service was not. Our experience was tainted by slow, unfriendly service, surprising given we were the only diners on arrival and only two other tables had customers when we left some time later,” bemoans dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.

For some years, Madam Lu, on West Row, has offered Malaysian and Chinese dishes – generous serves at a reasonable cost and with a focus on taste. 

It was our first time, and our meal began with piping hot, thin, flaky shallot pancakes ($9.90). They were delicious. 

We next focused on plump dumplings, stuffed with prawn and pork ($11.90). They are five in a serve and since we were a party of three, we asked if we could have an additional dumpling to round matters out (at a cost, of course). The answer was a blunt “no”. Order 5 or 10 we were told.

Rock salt and pepper dishes can be exciting and Madam Lu’s execution with squid was well done ($24.90). The seafood was soft and tender, and the coating was well-seasoned.

With ginger and shallot sauce, the Hainan chicken was perfectly poached. The flavour of the ginger was pronounced, but not so strong it disrupted the dish’s designed delicacy ($26.90). Madam Lu’s take on this classic dish was excellent, and the chicken was succulent and silky.

After the subtle chicken, we dug into more powerful beef rendang. We’re big rendang fans and Madam Lu offers a “signature version” ($28.90). The cubes of beef swam in a pool of gorgeous sauce, a deep burnt red colour, and were topped with thinly sliced fresh chilli. Tender, the beef was slow-cooked to absorb a special, rich mixture of ground spices. The sauce was sweet initially, but then the more complex flavour profile made itself known.

Madam Lu’s wine list is sparse and not intriguing, so we whipped over to the bottle shop across the road (corkage $10 a bottle), relieved it was there.

While the food at Madam Lu was worth the visit, the service was not. Our experience was tainted by slow, unfriendly service, surprising given we were the only diners on arrival and only two other tables had customers when we left some time later.

Perhaps it was bad luck, but there was no warmth from beginning to end. We sat outside and, except when food was plunked on our table, we were ignored throughout our meal. Indeed, one of our party had to get up to go inside three times to make requests. No-one bothered to check in to see if our lunch was travelling well. No smiles (which are free) and no genuine care factor. 

I get that some restaurants are casual, focusing on no fuss and quick in and out, but on our visit Madam Lu took this to another level despite its website promising that wait staff is “friendly”, “attentive” and dedicated to providing “excellent service” and making “every visit to Madam Lu a memorable one”.