I spent Mother's Day in the middle of Water St handing out Yelp buttons and Yelpsticks. This demanding work required sustenance, and I am lucky to have a husband who was willing to spread the Yelp gospel and retrieve food. He has the perfect skills to be a festival sidekick, primarily seeking out value lunches.
I did not get to check out the interior of Lotus or experience the service first hand. My experience was limited to a lunch special in a styrofoam container. They did mess up my husband's order the first time, and he had to walk back. I had veggie lo mein, fried rice and an egg roll-- a carb trio. They skimped on the veggies in both the noodles and the rice, but the flavor was okay, neither greasy or salty.
The meal was not spectacular; it may have been even a bit less than a-ok. However, the lunch special makes up for the culinary shortcomings. The price: $4 and change. Wa-POW. That's a cheap one.