Lucy's — Restaurant in Mallacoota

Lucy's at Mallacoota Visited on 10/3/2021

Our travelling group put Lucy's as a must visit restaurant for two reasons. One , we heard that Mallacoota had a devastating bushfire a year ago, and we would like to spend some money here. Two, a group member read about Lucy's was renowned for the abalone noodle, and we must give it a try.

I rang from Melbourne on Monday to book for 12 people for Wecnesday lunch. I asked specifically whether the restaurant had abolone in stick for the house specialty. The man at the other end of the line told me that the was no need for lunch booking, and that the abalones were freshly frozen, and assured me that there should not be any problem to serve the abalone noodle dish.

To travel to Lucy's from Genoa required to drive over 20 kilometres of very winding road, through the national park. Fortunately, it was a day with clear blue sky, or else I would feel unsafe to travel such a journey.

We finally reached our destinations, and Lucy's was among one of a handful of shops. It was just like most regional town restaurants, and no posh setting.

I saw a Chinese lady at the counter and asked whether she was Lucy, the owner of the restaurant. She confirmed that she was. I further asked whether we could place our orderthaen just in case she ran out of abalone.

My temperature started to rise when she told me that there was no delivery of abolones for the past few days, and therefore the dish was not available. I expressed my dissatisfaction as I was assured of the availability.

Our group had no choice because it was lunch time, and that we had to head towards Merimbula after lunch.

Most of us ordered the house specials crispy duck, and Lucy's homemade flat noodle.

We rable was out in the veranda. Next to it was a well maintained pedestrian laneway.

The food presentation was good, and the duck skin crispy. However, I had tasted better and more tender duck.

As for the homemade noodle, I could only score it a borderline pass. Melbournians are very blessed to live in the Mecca of cuisines, especially Asian foods. In my opinion, there is still room for improvement for the flat rice noodle.

I sincerely hope that this NOT going to happen to other customers. It was a long, long way for our travelling group coming from Melbourne to Mallacoota for the...

I recently visited this little yum cha spot hoping for a relaxing weekend brunch, but my experience fell short in more ways than one. While some of the dumplings and buns were passable—admittedly they seemed to come straight from the freezer and simply warmed through—the overall food quality felt distinctly “average,” lacking that fresh, handcrafted taste you’d expect at even a casual dim sum place.

What really spoiled the meal, however, was the hygiene: • Flies everywhere. No matter where I sat, it felt like I was sharing my table with a swarm of uninvited guests. • Unsanitary plates. My dishes arrived with visible smudges and residue, as if they’d never been properly washed. • Questionable staff practices. I couldn’t believe my eyes when a kitchen staff member emerged from the restroom without washing his hands—and proceeded to handle dumplings with bare fingers.

Those lapses in basic cleanliness made it impossible to relax or enjoy the food. If you’re sensitive to hygiene (and who isn’t?), this probably isn’t the place for you. I’d hoped for at least a decent three-star outing, but the combination of mediocre fare and glaring sanitation issues means I can’t in good conscience give it more than ★★★☆☆—and I certainly won’t be...

Arrived at 6:50pm on a Tuesday night. The place was absolutely full with diners and there was also a line up for takeaways.

Ordered some takeaway - 2 abalone & squid with noodles. We were advised that it would be 30 minutes, but we happily accepted the wait. Half an hour had passed, so we returned to check if our order was ready. We were told it wasn't quite ready yet. During our wait, we noticed diners and people waiting for takeaway were also asking about their orders. We totally understood the delay as the place was full.

Finally received our order at 7:55pm, took it back to our accommodation to enjoy.

We were both extremely hungry at this point and we were really looking forward to a tasty meal. But unfortunately, we found our meals to be underwhelming.

Abalone and squid was quite tough, noodles were slightly under-cooked, and the sauce was runny (no starch). The flavour was really salty (too much soy), and quite possibly msg added.

Based on previous reviews, looks like people either love it or hate it. I would still encourage others to try it and support small business, but it didn't quite hit the mark for us on this occasion.

I hope the owners will take all feedback constructively, and take the opportunity to make...