Ottawa Foodies

Warning!
The last time i had take out from this restaurant was about a year ago. I noticed that the manager used the same cloth to wipe the bar counter top as he used to wipe his shoes. From this moment on i promised myself that it would be the last time that i ordered food there. However, on the day of the closing of the Olympic Games in Beijing, i decided to order a chinese dinner, Mandarin Ogylvie was the obvious choice because it was nearby. We found STAPLES in our beef and broccoli dish, there were THREE, the ends sticking up (which can be dangerous if swallowed). So this was definitely the last time i order from this restaurant.

Best Regards,
Mania

We have been to this place twice for dinner in the last few weeks. On weekdays, the dining area near the entrance was filled up (I didn't see any Asian customers inside though).

I was pretty satisfied with the food we had. In the last two meals we had, the food quality was pretty consistent. For the price, it is about $30 per person.

I love the food here, but I find the service is inconsistent. The dum sum is so much fun - what a treat to be able to try so many tasty dishes! There's always a cart going by - so much abundance!

I went with my hubby to DirectBuy for their introduction session. After that, we went to this place for a dim-sum with our friends. Got there around 1:30 PM and had no problem finding a table for 4. It was almost the end of their Dim-Sum session (only about 5 or 6 tables being occupied). They still have dim-sum carts moving around for customer selection. However, the food was not hot any more. Some of them were not even warm. Very disappointed. When dim-sum is not hot, they don't taste good. So, we also ordered seafood stir-fry noodles. The taste was good. But the noodles were not crunchy (only those of the side). The portion was small when compared with other dim-sum places in Ottawa. The only dish I really like and recommend is the pickled cucumber (like those you can order at Korean restaurant). Sweet, sour and spicy. Be warned that the price at Mandarin Ogilvie is the second most expensive Chinese restaurant (next to Palais Imperial) in Ottawa. I didn't see the bill since our friend took the bill. But I know they charge a lot!

P.S. My husband complained about MSG level there. He felt so thirsty the whole day.

My whole family adores the Madarin and eat there as often as possible. I love the spring rolls, the Thai Spicy Noodles (T72) and the Sesame beef. The service is friendly and they always go out of their way to entertain my 4 year old.

Yummy!

I enjoy the Mandarin Dim Sum as do many of my co-workers. the BBQ pork is a staple.

They used to offer good dim sum. But not any more. My friend once told one of the servers (I think he is the owner's relative/brother) that the dim sum at Beijing Tianrun is getting better and better. He just told my friend "Then you can go to Beijing Tianrun to eat instead of coming to their place". Another thing to watch out: check your bill when you go there for dim-sum. We always detect mistake on the bill.

We always order crab meat and sea foam soup. This is our favourite soup.

This was the deep-fried fish. Very tasty!

The Shrimps in Thai style was excellent! Big shrimp size too. If you ask for my recommendation, this dish is the one.

I think this was the deep-fried shrimp balls that my friend ordered. Taste was good. Don't forget the spicy sauce for dipping!

This is the fried rice with salted fish. At this point, if you are still hungry, the fried rice serves the purpose to fill your stomach.

The taste of the Bean curd with squid and assorted vegetables dish was not bad at all.

This was the Stir-fry Tung Choi 通菜 (or Water Spinach in English). The stem inside is hollow.

This is the stir-fried baby Bok Choy with Enokitake. Enokitake (金針菇) are long, thin white mushrooms that you can find in most of the Chinese grocery stores. I like to add Enokitake, Canadian white mushrroms and Chinese mushrooms together and stir-fry them with shredded pork. A very healthy and yummy dish.

My friend told us that duck is their specialty. The duck was not bad. However, I would recommend that you order crispy chicken instead.

We had this a few years ago, and maybe they gave us the "white man' version or something but it tasted like chicken balls with plum sauce!! No spice and sweet like dessert! Bleccch.