Through Oorja, we aim to create a restaurant inspired by the flavors of Hakka, primarily Indo Chinese cuisine, where the emphasis is placed on fresh ingredients and great service. We take pride in the food that we create, and it is our ambition to bring this vibrant and culturally rich cuisine to Montreal. As both a restaurant and a cocktail bar, our objective is to shape a fun and dynamic environment centered around a unique culinary experience. Our team will create dishes and cocktails made from quality seasonal ingredients sourced from local producers. Indo Chinese cuisine is surprisingly absent from Montreal, and we believe that its vibrance and imaginativeness will be very well received.
Overall, reviews of Oorja describe a vibrant Indo Chinese fusion spot with inventive cocktails, playful tapas style dishes, and a warm, stylish ambiance that can range from relaxed lunch vibes to lively evenings with live music. The food frequently earns praise for bold flavors and presentation, with favorites including momos, chicken lollipops, chilli chicken, duck wings and other tapas style plates, while some diners note portions can be small for the price and spice levels may be very high. Cocktails are repeatedly highlighted as well balanced and creative, with several guests enjoying standout options and seasonal changes. Service is a common point, with many experiences described as friendly, attentive and professional, though others recount slow or inconsistent service, missed items, or long waits. The setting is often praised as chic and cozy, with attractive presentation and a welcoming atmosphere suited for dates, gatherings, or casual bites. Overall, Oorja comes across as a notable destination for Indo Chinese fusion in the area, delivering memorable drinks and interesting dishes, but with uneven service and portion consistency that may vary by visit.
Not bad & amazing cocktails & service. I do find the dishes are quite fashion & interesting mixes of flavors from Asia (dumpling shad curry in them for example), however I'm not sure if it was enough for a second trip back.
Amazing food & great cocktails! We had a great time eating at Oorja, we ordered the chili dumplings, the duck wings, & lamb rolls for the entrees & everything was delicious! The most outstanding being the dumplings with the delicious sauce 🔥 followed very closely by the duck wings. but don't be fooled, both dishes are spicy! We love spicy food & this felt super authentic to the Indochinese flavours so we greatly appreciate the chefs effort to showcase the true spice of the cuisine. We also ordered the fried chicken with hokka noodles as main & it was amazing. For the dessert we had the red bean ice cream & it was 10/10. The cocktails were good. We had the passion fruit & the cashews all around & both were good.
Apr 27, 2024
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Being of Southeast Asian descent, I've always wanted to try Hakka which technically is cuisine from a region of China. However, it gets more complicated than that because Chinese from that region migrated to Southeast Asia, India, & the Caribbean, merging their cuisine with that of their host country. Oorja is a sophisticated spot to enjoy Hakka, which I consider fusion cuisine before there was fusion cuisine. It's an intimate place with a relatively small number of tables, & a significant part of the place devoted to a lovely cocktail bar. I sometimes like to eat & drink at a bar, so that's a bonus. This time there were three of us. Our cocktails were amazing. We were served by very helpful & competent staff. The best dish by far was the Momo appetizer. So many layers of flavors which I found familiar, but mixed together in a unique way that I hadn't tasted before. My companions had the Chili chicken with fried rice & noodles on the side. They loved it. The fried rice had that typical wok hei aroma & so was well prepared. As were the noodles. I had the braised pork belly. This in my opinion was the weakest of the dishes, but I'm willing to give Oorja the benefit of the doubt on this one. Unlike the Momo with its multiple layers of flavors, the dish lacked complexity. I've had several versions of Southeast Asian pork belly which involves pan frying it with the usual Asian aromatics plus lemongrass, with umami provided by fish sauce. So I guess I was expecting something of those flavors. I do know that Hakka involves braising, rather than the other techniques I usually associate with pork belly preparation. So it might just be me having preconceived notions. Nevertheless I still enjoyed my meal. All in all, my experience in Oorja was thoroughly enjoyable.
Good place, worth trying. Pros: -Flavourful plates. The lamb spring rolls & the dumplings were delicious. Notes: -There's more cocktails options than main dishes -Most main dishes are spicy, even after asking to reduce the strength at the order.
We had the pleasure of dining at Oorja on our recent Montreal visit. It is a small restaurant but what Beautiful ambience. We had reservations for 5 people, but had an extra person join in at the last minute (a kid), & they were very kind to accommodate us. The menu is not elaborate, however it includes all the famed dishes from the Indochinese cuisine. Plating is gorgeous & everything was deliciuosly flavourful. My favorite was veggie Manchurian, which I was sharing with my sister. However it was so delicious that we ended up ordering another plate. Kids had lamb spring rolls & chicken manchurian, & even though it was a bit spicy for their taste buds, they thoroughly enjoyed it. My husband ordered chili paneer, which was very flavorful but the paneer was on the dry side. & lastly, I would travel back to Montreal just to have their red bean ice cream with bao bun. Everyone was skeptical in ordering a red bean icecream, but My gut feeling said it would be good. & I wasn't wrong. I was so full otherwise I would have eaten one more plate of that. Thank you for the wonderful experience.
Tried 9 different dishes & all were hits amongst the table. Everyone at the table had prior experiences with Hakka cuisine & this was up there with the best of it. Really great flavours & proteins were cooked well. Service was really great & the staff was incredibly friendly. Great resto experience from beginning to the end.
We really enjoyed out evening!
Only remark, if cocktail prices were a bit less steep, we would've ordered a second round. Also, some dishes portions were on the tiny side. Ex: mussels/rice, pork. Overall excellent!
I was rather excited about eating here. But I have to be honest, the overall experience was rather underwhelming ans I don't plan on coming back. At 6:45pm, the kitchen was already out of 1 dish, the meal was tasty but not anything beyond, couple of the dishes tasted generically similar, the cocktails were ok at best, & the service, though quite polite was rather slow & unremarkable. The location itself is cute.
An incredible experience! Some of the best food in Montreal hands down! The spring rolls, duck & braised pork especially stand out. The dishes are original & flavourful, anything my company or I ordered was delicious & did not disappoint. The drinks are also unique & very pretty, & they compliment the dishes well. The service was very good too, not once did we have to ask for water & some of these dishes are authentically spicy :). They're also great at guiding you through the menu if you don’t know what you want to order. Even for a nightcap, their desserts are great, plus the vibe is very classy & laid back. Definitely a spot to hit if you’re in the city.
Sep 19, 2023
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A great new resto in town in the Hakka ethnic cuisine variety. Great vibes, nice decor small seat restaurant. Unfortunately we did not get to experience all the dishes as the waitor forgot about us & the kitchen closed. Of what we did have mussels, dumplings & Asian salad was really good. I will go back to try the remainder. The only Hakka restaurant in town to my knowledge.
Overall, Oorja was a good place for a great cocktail & shareable entrees. The place was nicely designed, & the atmosphere was good to have a nice chat with friends. The cocktails were all delicious & definitely different. We had a few entrees to share, & my favorites were the duck wings & lamb spring rolls. I would recommend them for sure!! The main dishes were a little more disappointing. My braised pork was a little tough on some bites, & the white rice was either mushy & not cooked on some parts. The paneer chili was quite tasty & an original take on sweet chili sauce dish. The chicken chili was very similar to what you would get in a Chinese restaurant but with a higher price tag. In the end, I would recommend that if you are looking for good cocktails & tasty entrees.
My friends & I were really excited to try out this new spot but unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations.
Although the drinks were good & so were some of the appetizers (lamb spring rolls & duck wings) - the mains were not very good.
They have the same sauce for several plates, & to be honest it's seems like it's store bought or something. Two of us at the table had fried rice & it tasted funny, almost freezer burnt.
The servers were very kind an attentive & they even took one of the dishes off the bill because we weren't satisfied with it.
I won't be returning, but hope that as this restaurant grows, the food will improve!
Great place, they have an interesting take on fusion food. The best cocktails in St-Henri. Limited selections on their menu, portions are not very big which makes it expensive comparing to other restaurants located nearby. Also, many dishes (from appetizers to mains) have the same sauce, which makes me believe that it is prepared ahead of time (as the restaurant has limited capacity to reduce the spiciness of their hot dishes - for those having issues with hot meals). Beautiful venue the vibe is perfect for fun time with friends, business or romantic dinner.
Jul 6, 2023
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Great new restaurant in the St Henri neighbourhood. First time trying Indo-Chinese food . Everything from the Dumplings to the spicy chicken dishes were delicious .(along with nice glass of the natural wine ) . Service was friendly & helpful
