I went to lunch at Cafe Orient with my mom and a few of her friends, and we all spent the afternoon chatting while pigging out on noodles, rice, and congee. Cafe Orient is a bustling little place located on Somerset in Chinatown. They specialize in Hong Kong dishes, and offer over 300 dishes on the menu, including dim sum. My friend Wals is a big fan of their dim sum, especially their xiao long baos.
We ordered a bunch of dishes to share, communal style.
First was the preserved egg and sliced pork congee. Preserved egg, also called century egg is made by preserving duck or chicken eggs in ash and clay for several weeks to several months, until the egg turns a dark green/black color. There is no doubt that this is an acquired taste, but once you catch on, preserved eggs are really good.
Preserved Egg and Sliced Pork Congee
Next was the fried Chinese donut. This is basically sweet dough that is deep fried...not as sweet as a North American donut though.
Fried Chinese Donut
I'm an offal fan, so the beef tendon and tripe egg noodle dish was right up my alley. The tendon and tripe is stewed until tender, and then served over a bed of noodles.
Beef Tendon and Tripe with Egg Noodle
It is also served with a bowl of broth, where you eat the two together.
Beef Tendon and Trip with Egg Noodle
Next was the fried spaghetti with beef and black pepper. If you love black pepper, this dish is for you.
Fried Spaghetti with Beef and Black Pepper
Next was the Indonesian style fried vermicelli: thin rice noodles stir fried with shrimp, beef, scallion, and bean sprouts. It was garnished with a generous amount of coriander.
Indonesian Style Fried Vermicelli
Salted fish and chicken fried rice is one of my favorite dishes. A small warning, this is a very fishy smelling and tasting dish. Again, it is an acquired taste. Day old rice is stir fried with chicken, cured fish, scallion, egg, and lettuce, producing an awesome combination of tastes.
Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice
Next was the chow mein with chicken, squid, and veggies. This is a pretty standard Chinese dish. The chow mein noodles are deep fried until crispy, and the noodles soften up when the stir fried veggies and meat is thrown on top.
Chow Mein with Chicken and Squid
Last was the fried flat rice noodles with beef, onion, and bean sprouts. This is one of my sister's favorite dishes. The noodles and beef are stir fried in both a dark and light soy sauce.
Fried Flat Rice Noodles with Beef
It was a lot of food, but it was good! All of the dishes were nicely made, but we did find some to be a bit too oily. Next time, we will ask the chef to use less oil.
Cafe Orient
808 Somerset Street West
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-563-2422
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7 comments:
Oh my gosh your taste buds are so developed compared to mine:) You are so adventurous..The place looks like fun..:)
And out with your mom:)
This restaurant is a hidden gem. We've been there a few times for dim sum and it was pretty good. I didn't know they had xiao long bao. I'll make sure I try it the next time. We also went for dinner once, and ordered 4 clay pot/hot pot dishes out of 5 (the fifth, being the rice noodles with beef). It was delicious!
awesome post! some things i would have never tried, but after your descriptions that would change.
Oh - I love Chow Mein and fried donuts!!! I am definitely going to try the food there the next time I'm on Somerset. All the noodle dishes look fantastic! Yum!
You eat more things than I do! And I'm Chinese. LOL! Nana is right. You're adventurous. That's a good thing. :)
Salted fish and chicken fried rice is my favourite too! Although, I agree, definitely an acquired taste...plus it usually comes with a pungent funny fishy stench! All the more delicious in my opinion :P
wow! your pictures are amazing, they make my mouth water.
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