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Omei Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Chinese Restaurants Seafood Chinese, Seafood [Edit]
420 Hwy 7 ERichmond Hill, ON L4B 3K2
(905) 881-8188
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
13 reviews for Omei Restaurant
13 reviews in English
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Review from S L.
Markham, ON
11/30/2011
I always recommend friends to come this Omei to try their giant lobster. Pick a 10 lbs size and have them to make 4 different dishes, steamed, deep fried, stir fried and fried rice. Love it! Good food and service, except the lace is getting old, it's about time to renovate.
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Review from Jenny T.
8/24/2011
This place was recommended for their amazing seafood, so we had to try. When we got there we realized that they had only given us the Chinese menu, we don't read Chinese so we requested the English menu but immediately after the waiter and owner warned us that there's nothing good on the English menu.
The owner went through their seafood menu and we ended up getting the lobster 4 different ways: with green onions and ginger, kind of sweet and sour, deep fried with batter and the lobster fried rice. It was amazing, the 2 of us could not finish it all but it still tasted really good reheated.
The dessert basically sealed the deal here. They had the coconut covered soft moochi (that is usually only available in 1 flavour at T&T) but they gave us mango flavoured ones with real mango inside, it was delicious! They also gave us red bean soup and sesame dumplings. Total came to approximately $140, totally worth it.
I'm already wondering if we'll ever be able to come back with enough people to get the king crab, which was $200. This is FRESH king crab we're talking about here, not the frozen stuff. -
Review from Edward M.
8/22/2011
Took them a while to get our food out but it was very busy on a Monday night so I could maybe understand.
We had excellent food. I forget what we got persay (problem with them writing dishes in chinese and me not being able to read chinese...) but everything we got was excellent! I have been here many times over the years of visiting Canada and have always had great food there and if you get dessert, i know it's odd getting dessert at a chinese place that isn't that powdery tasting red bean soup, you will not be disappointed. Try the mango dessert or the puff balls. They also have a purple rice soup which is pretty good too.
You will like this place for sure. They do offer this crazy 8 lb lobster cooked 4 ways with various pieces. It is super expensive like 150? But I don't know if it's worth it per say. I did not have it but if you like lobster, order it for your entire meal, it looked really cool though :)
hidden gem: If you pay in cash sometimes you get a discount :) -
Review from Tammy Y.
1/16/2011
O me Omei, I love me some Omei.
This is one place that is definitely worth the trip waaaayyyyyyy north of Bloor for. My family and I are regulars here, and for good reason: the seafood selection is outstanding, the dishes are fresh and flavourful, and service is wonderfully attentive.
Omei is perhaps best known for their lobster dishes, and for those seeking to enter the realm of lobster-sans-butter, it don't get better than this. On our most recent visit, we went with a 9 lb. lobster that they first bring out on a massive tray, live. It's always a reason for people to bust out their camera phones and also reminds you just how fresh the seafood is. The next time we see the big guy, he's done up 4 ways: (1) cut up "oyster" style with thin strips of green onion, (2) cooked up in a wok - or pan - in a more traditional Chinese style with the dressings (3) deep fried in batter with crispy chilies and noodle crisps - my fave, and (4) fried rice made with the delicious green "brains" of the lobster.
On the side, we had a piping hot bowl of brothy soup on a gas stove made with a whole fish, veggies, tofu, and beef strips (for the vegetarian in our clan, we ordered an all vegetarian soup), and we also indulged in some traditional white chicken with glistening bok choy on the side.
The fun doesn't stop here though - their desserts keep the party rolling. A choice of 2 dessert soups (no basic red bean to be seen here!) is served up with a plate of mini mochi balls stuffed with sesame, and another plate of delicious mango mochi-esque creations rolled in coconut. 'Cause we were there a birthday, they also went ahead and steamed a plate of traditional celebratory buns, served up with an enthusiastic English and Chinese rendition of 'Happy Birthday'.
The damage? For the 6 of us it worked out to about $50 per person with tax and tip, and we were stuffed, even 2 hours later.
Get here. Early if you can (on weekends its a full house by 7:30pm). You won't be disappointed. -
Review from Jacob L.
10/26/2011
No reservation needed.
Atmosphere: Half filled dining room, but it was 6:30 on a wed evening, rainy day outside. Otherwise, it was nicer than the typical chinese restaurant, but still casual dress. Don't bring your fancy hot date here unless you've been dating for a while and want to stuff your faces with great food rather than gaze in each other's eyes for hours.
Got the lobster 4 ways (6lbs, approx $19/lb), + chinese broccoli (needed SOME veggies). Ended being approx $175 (inc tax and tip). (for 2 ppl, because yours truly is a glutton. Easily could have fed 4. Ended taking some little leftovers home.
So they bring out one big-ass lobster on a platter (still alive and moving), to show it off, and to get your approval, before they cook and whack it into the appropriate pieces. Cool and a little unnerving.
Food: Delicious.
way #1: Lobster in a garlic and scallion sauce with thin vermicelli noodles.
way #2: wok-sauteed lobster with onions in soy-garlic sauce.
way #3: lobster deep fried (at other restos, i've heard this style called "aromatic," also heard it called, "salt and pepper fried") it is fried, and it is salted, but doesn't really fit either of the above names.
way #4: lobster guts?/brains? innards in stir fried rice. Rice is great, the innards are great if you love that sort of thing, not that great if you don't (me), but regardless, it gives the fried rice that extra lobster flavor and aroma.
All 4 styles were great, but I liked #1 and 2 best. I've had style #2 many times before, but #1 was new to me. I like the sauce in #1 so much, i spooned some into my fried rice.
Broccoli was good, but nothing too special.
Dessert (included): Red bean soup was perfect after a big meal. (is there a bit of milk in there?). Little mochi balls with light sesame syrup, not heavy with the sweetness like other places. Last were little puffs, sugared like donuts, with a bit of red bean sweetness inside. I wasn't a fan, mostly because it had a bit too much egg flavor to it, which was weird with the spongy donuts.
Quantity: Fantastic, even for a glutton like me.
Price: It's pricey, so bring plenty of dough
OH, BIG THING: Most of the waiters/waitresses don't speak English, and their menu's have NO English on them. Our waiter did ask, "4 ways lobster?" when he realized that it was our first time there and we didn't speak Chinese. Later, a younger waitress came up and spoke english, and explained how they would do the 4 ways lobster for the two of us.
So, expect it, and ask to have the one waitress who speaks English. hahahaha
All in all, a fantastic find, and a great place to take a group of 4-6 ppl. -
Review from Nina S.
Richmond Hill, ON
11/22/2010
A neat, brightly lit, and elegant place for family dining and functions too. However, been there only for take-outs since its currently the most convenient thing for my kids. Everything we've ever ordered has been very scrumptious, delectably fresh, and tastefully balanced without overwhelming the ingredients.
Our current faves: (a) Buddha's Delight ($8.50) - may seem like Chop Suey but has more variety of mushrooms in it; (b) Mushroom Fried Rice ($5.75) -has more than mushrooms in it and its so filling; (c) O-Mei House Special Fried Noodles ($9.50) - has the biggest shrimps in any noodle dish I've ever had recently from other places and the fat udon-like noodles are so meaty. Huge slices of chicken and vegetables, its a meal by itself; (d) And how can I forget, Bbq Pork Egg Foo Yong ($6.50) - so good and filled with vegetables, meat and other great stuff. It even comes with a generous serving of sesame sauce - sooo good; or was it meant for the other dish I ordered with it...hmmm.
The serving sizes are generous and packed. The taste and texture - really one of the best and at par with neighboring Ambassador Chinese Cuisine. Service has been very nice and friendly and super fast. And one special note: it would seem that its not any regular chinese restaurant because I don't get sick after eating (nauseous, extremely thirsty, dull senses), meaning they don't use MSG or perhaps minute amounts only. Yey!
I can't wait until we get ourselves seated there and try the Peking Duck and Lobsters they're very popular for. Their menu is enough to make my mouth water for more since they have quite a number of not too common dishes. Check it out: http://omeirestaurant.... Definitely a place worth going to and will recommend to my equally foodie friends. I should come back and write another review with the sit-in dining experience. ;) -
Review from Ed C.
North York, ON
11/7/2011
Yes. You get the huge lobster and fish. But they use way too much msg. I got so sick from the msg after the meal. Also, is it ethical eating a 50 years old lobster?
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Review from Ken K.
8/7/2008
Since everybody seems to be invading Canada (i.e. writing generic short paragraphed circa pre-Elite 2005 Yelp reviews, now that Yelp has officially crossed the northern border) I'm gonna hop on the Maple Leaf bandwagon and start off with one too.
Omei, or more accurately, pronounced Er Mei in Mandarin, is actually a the name of a mountainous region in Sichuan province, China
beautiful flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/...
The last time I was at Omei restaurant was probably close to 13 years ago. Unless things have changed, this is/was a Shanghainese style restaurant, and is in a strip mall that also has a pharmacy and a supermarket.
There were a few decent items here for lunch/brunch, particularly soymilk, sticky rice rolls (fan tuan) and a nicely done ja jiang mien (brothless noodle in bean sauce) although the noodles were not made in house. My grandma loved coming here as it was close by and they did those favorites of hers fairly consistently.
But circa 2003, family members (those who hold Canadian passports) felt this place went down the slopes and have not returned as much. There are arguably better and newer places that do better Shanghainese fare within driving distance. -
Review from Michael C.
6/4/2009
Okay, the food was okay. It wasn't great, but the food was worth 3.5 stars.
My biggest problem was the service. We ordered five dishes. 4/5 came out properly. We ordered a sweet-and-spicy Pork Ribs and it came out to deep-fried battered pepper and onion pork chops. We took it anyways since it looked good. Then they brought out a Chicken dish after we got all 5.... we only ordered five. We told them that it was not ours VERY SPECIFICALLY, and then they brought out another chicken dish...
Other than that, it was fine. -
Review from bold c.
Toronto, ON
12/1/2010
Lobster is speciality. Food good but consistent. Price above average for area. Service ok.
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Review from Tina N.
Toronto, ON
12/26/2009 3 photos
Since it was Chrismas, my family and I decided to come to OMEI and splurge our money on the seafood here. We ended up getting our all-time favourite dish which was the lobster. I'm starting to believe that the farther i drive, the better the food quality is because the lobster we got was about 5 pounds! (VERY BIG!). Since our table was very small, we only decided to get our lobster cooked 2 ways which was the steamed claws in scallion with clear vermicelli and the rest sauteed in onions and soy sauce. The meat was very soft and not dry (perfectly cooked).
We also tried OMEI's very popular and famous 'Buddha Jumping Over Wall' Soup which goes for about $34 per urn! Yes, it was a major wallet burn for me but the soup was very rich in taste and hearty as it was filled with bamboo shoots, scallops, sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, ginseng and mushrooms.This dish is suppose to be a Chinese delicacy as it uses high-quality ingredients and when eaten, it is healthy and good for the body! (pretty cool!)
We also ordered a special 'flat fish' that was steamed in soy sauce which had very unique flavour and texture to it. Definetly something different from the other Chinese restaurants I've tried.
The only thing I've noticed about their dishes were that all of them were just a tad bit salty but other than that I think the food would have been fine (I just drank ALOT of water).
Overall ambience was clean and decent. Service was attentive. I'll probably only come here next time for the famous soup though, everything else was good but just a bit pricer for what you get.
PS. the desserts here are GREAT! NOT Red Bean Soup for once! Instead they give you a great Purple Rice Pudding and Mango Moochi! yumm! -
Review from Francisca W.
8/22/2009 9 photos
(Ken K. previously stated this is (was?) a shanghainese restaurant. i don't know about its past, but far as i know--from couple years ago, this place appears more of a cantonese-style/seafood restaurant to me.)
my cousin (a local) brought me to this place for their "giant lobster 4 ways" set:
1) steamed claws w/soy sauce, scallion & clear vermicelli;
2) sautee tail w/supreme soysauce;
3) "harbor (haven?) style" (high-heat sautee w/deep fried shallots, garlic, spice & etc) legs;
4) fried rice w/tomalley (the green stuff, i was told that is liver).
not only that, they have at least 4 kinds of desserts to choose from, which are all of superior quality and atypical for a chinese restaurant. on usual menu is a kind of sweet soup, glutinous rice balls w/black sesame paste inside, mango mochi, and "go lick dou sa" (beaten egg white w/red bean paste inside, sprinkled w/sugar; it's soft like a souffle).
they also serve king crabs along with the gigantic lobsters nightly, but it may be a good idea to make reservations on busy nights/weekends. i'm not particularly crazy about seafood to begin with, but if i'm in the mood of some good dishes, i'll come here. regular dishes is about $10-15 each, but if you go for the giant lobster set, that can easily jack up your bill right past the $200 mark.Listed in: Canada: Hidden (or not so…
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Review from Sunshine L.
8/18/2011
Even better than the seafood restaurants in Hong Kong. You can have 4 different kinds of lobster plate with fried rice. Don't forget to take a picture with gigantic lobster! You will see many people hold it for a photo shooting. Do not miss the Hong Kong style dessert served after the main course even if you are already full :)
