ORIENTAL AROMA
provides authenticity, variety
Word of mouth boosts business at this Eighth Street restaurant.
You know when the universe is trying to tell you something? Try as you might to ignore it, that universe, she can be bossy.
During the past month or so, I had several people tell me I had to try Oriental Aroma. You must go, they said. It’s so good, they said. Not one to ignore signs from the universe, I took their advice and dined in on a cold and rainy Friday night.
Oriental Aroma is on the busy corner of Clarence Avenue and Eighth Street in a former framing store. It has been open for just over a year and business is booming. The interior has a sleek and modern Hong Kong design. Our booth was spacious and cosy and quite private, a great place to go and catch up on some girl talk.
Oriental Aroma’s menu is heavy on authentic Chinese cuisine. With more than 100 items to choose from, it can be a bit daunting, but don’t be frightened away by the pork intestine, beef tripe and duck necks. There are more recognizable items as well, and this is a great little place to go on an edible adventure. Our waiter was friendly and informative, steering us here and there, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about the menu.
In addition to the regular menu, there is a sheet with new featured dishes, hitting up whatever is seasonal. There are hot pots and platters, stir frys and stews, soups and noodles and sizzling this and crispy that. Ingredients such as tea tree mushroom, green pea tips, Chinese sauerkraut, lotus root, whole turbot, pork belly, squid tentacles and glass noodles may be new to you, but this is exciting stuff.
My cousin and I were ravenous, and it took quite a while to decide. We enlisted the help of our waiter, who encouraged us to try the house special sweet and sour pork loin slices ($12.95) and the Sichuan green beans ($11.95). He giggled when I said I had a craving for tofu (What? It happens.) and suggested the salt and pepper tofu ($10.95).
Shrimp was a must-order, but done which way? With snap peas, or Kung Pao or with kimchee or deep-fried with Thousand Island dressing? We were leaning toward Kung Pao, but our waiter suggested the spicy hot pot ($14.95) instead. Pork belly was something we wanted to try as well and on Oriental Aroma’s menu it came a few ways: with black bean sauce, twice cooked and in a hot pot with Chinese sauerkraut ($12.95). Given how much we both love fermented cabbage, this was an easy choice. Rounding out the mix was a platter of chicken lo mein ($9.95), because you have to have fried noodles when eating Chinese.
Who knew that the Sichuan green beans would be the star of the night? They were deep fried briefly so they remained slightly crispy on the outside, but nice and tender in the middle. Toasted red chilies (don’t nibble on these) provided the heat, while chunks of garlic and bits of ground pork rounded out one of the best vegetable dishes out there. I could eat these every day.
The other big favourite was the sweet and sour pork loin. Yes, it’s breaded and yes it’s deep fried, but the pork melts in your mouth after you bite through the crunchy exterior. The sauce is perfect — not cloyingly sweet or terribly sour, but in perfect balance. Beautifully presented, it’s quite the show-stopper, and from what we observed that night, most tables ordered it.
Two big steaming hot pots
ORIENTAL AROMA’S MENU IS HEAVY ON AUTHENTIC CHINESE CUISINE. WITH MORE THAN 100 ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM, IT CAN BE A BIT DAUNTING, BUT DON’T BE FRIGHTENED AWAY BY THE PORK INTESTINE, BEEF TRIPE AND DUCK NECKS.
found their way to our table and both were quite good. The Chinese sauerkraut with pork belly was interesting. An aromatic broth — accented with chunks of star anise, tender pieces of sauerkraut and thin slices of pork belly — is just what the doctor ordered if you are feeling under the weather. One slurp and I felt all germs retreat. The only drawback was the lengthy glass noodles. We had to use our fingers to wind them up and out and into our bowls. Since we are related we didn’t mind, but if on a first date you may want to skip this dish.
The spicy shrimp hot pot was excellent as well — a little sweet, a little salty with black beans added for fun and, yes, it had quite the kick, enough to make the nose run a little.
The tofu was also delicious — gently fried so it remained creamy in the middle and well seasoned. The lo mein were fine — nothing extraordinary, but a good bed for the excellent sauces of the other dishes.
Overall I was impressed with the variety of flavours, freshness and creativity of our meal at Oriental Aroma. That universe, she knows what she’s talking about.