In their own words: “We celebrate modern Peruvian cuisine, whilst celebrating local products and producers.”
First impressions: Why are we sitting outside when there are so many empty tables inside? Our allocated spot for three included an end chair that pushed into the area otherwise known as the footpath. If my husband was a car, someone would have certainly posted a whingy photo on a community Facebook page. Madame George’s dining room has doubled since my last visit but did you even eat on K Rd if you weren’t, almost literally, on K Rd? Last Saturday night was cold. We were looking for dinner, not street cred. We asked to move.
In the kitchen: Busy chefs - less busy extractor fans. I ate my dinner and left smelling like everybody else’s which, I dutifully acknowledge, wouldn’t have happened if I’d just stayed outside.
On the floor: Four different waitstaff brought four very different wait games to our table. The service was mostly superb (including a very well-handled last-minute change to my cocktail order). Less optimal? In my opinion, you should only pull up a chair and/or ask what we’re having, if “we” are actually splitting the bill.
The menu: The supermarket isn’t the only place where food prices are rising and Madame George’s website had not been keeping up with inflation. Raw fish-based ceviche and spicy-fruit aji amarillo-spiked tiradito (snapper and trevally, respectively, on the night we visited) were listed online at $19 a plate but were $26 apiece in real life. The once $7 bread was charged at $9 and larger plates ranged from $33-$42 (in some cases, $9 dearer than a pre-visit internet check suggested). Flavours lean to South American fusion - tallarin saltado, for example, is an udon noodle and sirloin steak stir fry - and I can’t think of anywhere else in the vicinity where you can pair a quinoa tamal with your (innovative and delicious) cocktail.