We are lucky enough to park curbside on Lonsdale Street right on 7pm, and wander some 50 metres up to Lazy Su, obstructed only by the spectacle of what appears to be an ANU college bar crawl. We dodge and weave through a procession of 20-somethings dressed as tennis players, pro golfers and NBA players, with the odd Roman emperor for good measure, and find the entrance to the restaurant.
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We are greeted by a herd of waving cats, each with one paw elegantly and perpetually raised, creating an illusion of beckoning, as if extending an invitation to embrace joy and good fortune. Much like the abounding youthful optimism of the bar crawl, there is a sense that good fun must certainly lie ahead of us.
The place is jumping with smaller groups sipping on cocktails at the front and party people throwing down half-litre glasses of Asahi up the back. Although Lazy Su opened in the middle of last decade, when these university types were most likely studying long division, the interior still looks excellent. Japanese/Korean pop culture resonates, with the 3D lightbox signage on the walls which is intersected with paper lanterns, orange neon lighting, and the subtle appearance of the koi fish logo, which weaves its way into the theme of the restaurant. There is a crew of young, predominantly female staff working the floor with sharp attention to detail. They appear to enjoy each other's company and, indeed, that of their guests.
Our particularly friendly waitress seats us at the bar and whips us through the menu options, noting our drink order quickly and returning in under three minutes with a large Asahi ($14) and a Southside Shimmy cocktail ($19). Sipping on this fine shake of Four Pillars bloody shiraz gin, yuzushu, lime and mint, we could easily be sitting at the bar in Tokyo or Seoul. We watch what looks like about 30 cocktails punched out from colour-coded bottles in the five or so minutes before our donburi nori tacos of rice, salmon, kingfish, tuna and avocado puree ($18) arrive in a neat little stand.
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The food runner drops the prawn toast ($16) and says "thanks for waiting". She doesn't appear to be being ironic. The prawn toast is fried golden, textured and chewy. It is made with prawn, spanner crab, salted egg, kewpie mayo, citrus and koshihikari rice cake. This style of premium short grain rice works well for the springiness of the toast, but the salted egg concoction on top would be better at room temperature or warm. The tacos are delightfully crunchy, bursting with generous layers of fish. A couple of the signature cheeseburger spring rolls ($16) wrap up the entrees and these crispy fried little nuggets taste exactly like they sound. My companion asks if there might be a hot dog gyoza in the works.
Two glasses of local Mada rose ($13) arrive in ergonomically designed tumblers. They are a refreshingly generous pour, at an equally refreshing price, given recent experience. The Mada website describes this nebbiolo-based drop as "watermelon slushy, smashed nectarine and orange rind". I can't describe it any better and it's probably best not to plagiarise. Do yourself a favour and go and buy some, as spring is only nine weeks away.
Back to the restaurant, which is immaculate, the staff work hard to turn over the tables, cleaning, wiping, resetting and escorting new diners constantly as the night goes on. Grandma's tofu arrives ($25), cooked with pickled mustard leaf, eggplant, garlic, chilli, chives. It comes soft and silky like a grandma's cuddles but has some fire in the belly, which, let's be honest, grandma sometimes does have.
Five spice duck pancakes are delivered as a sliced breast of roast duck, with sides of cucumber, shallot, hoisin and six rice flour pancakes ($40). The pancakes have a slightly chewy texture and are on the dry side. This usually provides a contrast to the succulent duck meat, but in this instance our duck has been hung out to dry just a little longer than is optimal. Pork fried rice is a fine concoction of pork neck, nasi goreng style rice, egg, onion, and shallots ($17). It tastes like a street food style dish and is a generous portion, as well as a great softener for the fire that hides in grandma's recipe.
Banana fritter ice cream sundae is a lovely combination of coconut ice cream, fried banana and caramel sauce ($15). Banana desserts make my internal cat wave and this one is easy like a Sunday morning, bringing a nostalgic tone to the end of the dinner. The yuzu pavlova consists of meringue, yuzu curd, soju soaked berries and creme chantilly ($15). The pav is crunchy and dry, but with a lovely surprise of a yuzu curd inside that is creamy and dreamy.
We wrap up in just over 80 minutes, but the slick and genuine service has ensured that we haven't felt rushed. Lazy Su is a great spot for a first date, second date or any kind of date. It's fast, funky and fun. Whilst the cats wave us goodbye, we slip back onto Lonsdale street just as the procession of uni students are dancing, hugging and piggybacking their way up the street to their next bar. Optimism abounds and good fun lies behind us, and hopefully, ahead of them.
Lazy Su
Address: 1/9 Lonsdale St, Braddon
Phone: 51053812
Website: lazy-su.com.au
Hours: Lunch, Friday to Sunday, noon til 3pm. Dinner, Tuesday to Thursday, 5pm-late, Friday to Sunday, 5.30pm-late
Chef: Gihoon Shin
Dietary: Plenty of options
Noise: It's buzzing but that's half the fun
Score: 14/20
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