The Oriental Gourmet
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
633 Silver Star BlvdScarborough, ON M1V 5N1
(416) 291-9966
- Price Range:
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$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
4 reviews for The Oriental Gourmet
4 reviews in English
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Review from Piotr Z.
Toronto, ON
9/4/2011 5 Check-ins Here
A gwailo (Westerner) like me will not stumble into this gem of a restaurant on his own. Located in a non-descript suburban Chinese shopping plaza, not far from Pacific Mall, the restaurant is well known in Markham's Chinese community. The lucky few Westerners who have discovered its delights most likely owe it to their Chinese friends or their partner (Thank you, Dear!)
Chiu Chow cuisine comes from the North-East region of Guangdong province of China, which itself is located in the South-East of the country, just up the coast from Hong Kong. (Look it up on Wikipedia.) Similar to Cantonese cuisine, it is known for its seafood dishes and more subtle use of spices as compared to other Chinese regional cuisines.
If you're lucky, your Chinese friend will take you there for a bigger family gathering or one of the seasonal holiday celebrations which will involve a banquet-style dinner. It starts with a tiny cup of strong bitter tea, features a series of large dishes to share, served one after another, all at the chef's discretion, and ends with a kind of sweet bean soup for dessert (admittedly, an acquired taste). If you have a friend like that, cherish the friendship.
If you're there for a regular dinner, try to find out what the special is. It may not be on the menu. My favourite dish is crab or lobster in a creamy rum-flavoured sauce. An extremely messy dish - you have to use your hands to deal with the crab - but worth it, and it comes with a fluffy bread roll to mop up the sauce. Another favourite of mine is an oyster omelette, and still another is tea-infused smoked duck. The restaurant offers specials that vary with season, so every time I went there, and it's been close to a dozen times, I had a chance to try something completely new, be it delicious steamed fish with garlic, creamy soup served in a hollowed-out winter melon, or oyster congee. (Their congee looks more like rice in broth, unlike the thicker, starchy Hong Kong variety you get in Cantonese restaurants.)
As in most Chinese restaurants, it's better to show up in a bigger group, to share as many dishes as you can. It will also help to have a Cantonese speaker in your group to find out what the chef's special is for the day. As others have mentioned here already, reservations are recommended and payment is by cash only. (Also, if you want to eat pigeon, you must order it a couple days ahead.) -
Review from Calvin S.
Markham, ON
6/23/2011
Tip: For dinner, always reserve if you're arriving before 9pm.
This place is consistently busy, with all the tables full between at least 7 and 9pm. As William said, when it's busy, the environment isn't exactly the best.
Onto the food...we ordered cold shredded chicken with jellyfish, satay beef noodles, cuttlefish cakes, and a lobster.
The cold shredded chicken with jellyfish is excellent if you know how to eat them. Basically when you receive the food, mix up the chicken and jellyfish and eat it from there. Believe me, it tastes better.
Satay beef noodles (ho fan) are delicious if you love satay. They put A LOT of it. The beef is average though, nothing spectacular. The noodles are smooth and chewy as well. Heart.
The cuttlefish cakes are nice in design, and equally as nice in terms of taste. It comes with a sweet sauce which I highly recommend you dip before you eat.
The lobster was somewhat of a letdown; a lot of shell, not a lot of meat.
Service was bad when I first started eating there, but in my most recent visit (Father's Day) it actually was quite good. -
Review from Derek C.
Markham, ON
10/13/2011
One of my family's favourite restaurants. There's the Satay Beef Rice Noodles, the Cold Crab, the Preserved Olive Fried Rice, the Lao Sui Chicken, the yummy chicken with deep fried vegetable leaves (I don't know what the English name as I've been ordering without the menu in a long time), there's the Oyster Hot Pot with Green Onion - everything on the menu makes me drool! I cannot imagine not going back to this restaurant in the future.
Always busy and tightly packed, but I believe it's the right size for the kitchen to serve - any bigger and the service wouldn't be as darn good. The waitresses are also very friendly!
This is a restaurant I have confidently brought friends and visiting guests from all over to, and they are all impressed with the food. I would bring you too if I knew you...but sadly, I do not. You will have to bring yourself! -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
Updated - 5/5/2010 10 photos
After reading William H review of the Dried Orange Peel Duck Leg Soup, I decide to try that for lunch at Oriental Gourmet Chiuchow again!
I was NOT disappointed! For $5.50 with the soy bean drink, this is really a steal!
The duck meat is so moist, so soft, so full of taste! The noodle is like an afterthought. I would just order the Duck Noodle Soup and just eat the Duck!!
Don't expect any good service and you will be happy with the food!Listed in: Lunch Specials in Scarborough, My Favourite Restaurants, I Love Being Fishy!!, Chiu Chow Food in GTA!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/10/2009 First to Review
Oriental Gourment is a Chinese restaurant that specialized in Chiu Chow style food. Chiu Chow is in… Read more »
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