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Odysseus and his fighting men ate lotus flowers, which the myth tells us kept them in a state of forgetfulness.

Ya think? It took the peripatetic soldier 10 years to get home after the Trojan Wars. He was also known as Odysseus the Cunning, so perhaps his delay had deeper meaning. Trouble on the home front?

By all accounts though Mrs Odysseus – Penelope – was a bit of a catch. She was, after all, the Queen of Ithaca and she must have been a looker: it’s said more than 100 hopefuls tried to crack on while hubby was away at the war.

The lotus flower – the ancient world’s answer to a packed bong – has come to symbolise purity and rebirth, and lotus eaters are known as those who spend their time indulging in pleasure and luxury.

Which brings us to the pleasure palace that is The Beaufort mega-pub in Highgate and, specifically, its flagship restaurant, Lotus.

Pleasure, yes. Luxury no, but it’s a fine place to eat Asian-ish dishes and get lit on well-priced beers and wines.

It’s not quite Hogarthian ribaldry – way too middle-class for that – more a summer beach house party gone wild.

We reviewed it a few years ago for another publication and it was… OK. The mod-Asian thing was mostly good but some dishes were half-hearted, some of the flavours were a little askew. It had none of the direct, clean, gripping and booming flavours of, say, Sydney’s Chin Chin or Melbourne’s Longrain, which it was clearly trying to emulate.

Back then, we were impressed by the massive building with its bars and pub sections and rooftop eating spots and room for hundreds of revelling millennials. It was Justin Hemmes-lite, but swanky, boisterous, fun and noisy.

Good news pleasure-seekers.

On our return this week, we found the food more exciting, the flavours more bombastic and the menu better balanced. It’s still short-order Asian, but more assertive.

We ordered a bunch of dishes, prawn dumplings, satay beef skewers, pork bao, cuttlefish, tempura eggplant, chicken larb, kung pao chicken and steamed rice. The menu cherry picks from all over Asia.

Prawn dumplings had a chunky, briny, juicy fill of chopped prawn with a backbeat of soy and ginger. The wrappers were tender but nicely rubbery.

If satay skewers have a problem, it’s that they become chewy and dry before they are cooked long enough to get a crust. Lotus solves this problem by skewering thicker pieces of beef which remain tender despite their dark crust. Not sure what cut of beef they use, but it was très beefy and rich. The satay sauce – often an abominable blend of peanut paste and hot sauce – tasted proper with chopped chilli and a citric component, maybe lime juice. Nice one.

Pork bao was what you might expect. Fluffy steamed bao buns were filled with a tranche of sweet, moist pork belly with a sliver of crackling on top. It was garnished with fresh herbs, roasted cashews, sambal and coriander. Best bit? As always, it was the salty crackling that made the dish. Worth noting too that the buns were soft through. If pre-steamed and left sitting for a while they can go rubbery and hard at the edges. No such problem here.

Given the choice between squid and cuttlefish, I’ll always swipe right on cuttlefish. It’s chunkier, has bigger flavour and, cooked well, it’s just as tender. The salt and pepper finish was standard stuff.

Tempura eggplant can turn out like nasal discharge if not cooked well. This version was OK. The tempura coating was soggy, but the flavours were bold and spiked with the flavours of fresh herbs. The eggplant had retained a little texture.

We tried kung pao chicken and chicken larb, both good, but nothing to get your hormones rushing.

The Beaufort has, in its short life, become something of a hot favourite with the boys and gals (and other genders) of postcode 6050. It is also a destination venue, with punters coming from across the northern suburbs to join the revelry.

A table of yummy mummies with prams (Kingsley Amis famously opined that the biggest impediment to a writer was a pram in the hallway, but I digress) was at a long table. Super cool, scowling adolescents were scattered about and, of course, chavvy lads and ladettes were making great noise in the bar downstairs, because they’re happy Australians.

The service is on point if a little listless. They’re keen kids on the floor. Don’t expect mature levels of service though.

The food is not an afterthought at Lotus, but it is a small part of the unbridled fun that occurs every evening at the mega boozer once the curtain goes up, the bars fill and the fun begins. It’s not quite Hogarthian ribaldry – way too middle-class for that – more a summer beach house party gone wild.

Yes please.