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.
Very modern & original take. Our group sampled all six of the entrees, & two of the starters & two of the desserts. Each had unique & delicious flavor combinations. The drinks were if anything even more inventive. No regrets spending one of our precious Montreal dinners here!
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.
Pretty nice restaurant, variety in drinks & great attention. The baby corn & the pork were highlights for me. The vanilla cake desserts was also really damn good.
Food & ambiance were delicious & lovely. However the service was absolutely atrocious. We showed up at the time of our reservation, & waited for about 10 minutes. Then the host told us he just had to set our table, which he did, but never sat us down. So we took the liberty to go seat ourselves after waiting for another 10 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes to order our drinks, & brought me the wrong beer. It takes another about 15-20 minutes to get our first appetizer, & we don't have any plates. It's now 45 minutes after our reservation so we just ate off the middle plate. After another 20 minutes, we get our 2nd appetizer & both mains. Again delicious. Once we finish, the cherry on top is that the waiter just drops the card machine on the table & walks away. We pay, wait 5 minutes, & eventually just leave. Food was absolutely fantastic, but the service would make me reconsider going back.
First time. The moment we entered, we noticed a great atmosphere & ambiance. Service , Food & drink were on the point. Will definitely come back. Highly recommend 😁
It appeared that there was only 1 waiter for a full room- that is unnacceptable management. He was very nice but very overwhelemd - waited half hour to get served - food forgotten - waited eternity between drinks -
Everything was wonderful. One of the best dining experiences we've had in Montreal. Food was delicious & spicy & the drinks were creative & tasty & also quite strong. We hope to be back soon!
Giving it 3 star because the portion of the meal was way less than expected. I have been to PF Chang, Jack Astor, Elixor & a few named restaurants but their portion of the food is good according to the price. Even the choice of the drinks were not much here. I was really excited after seeing a post on Instagram but was really disappointed after spending 115$. I'd suggest to offer more portion of the plate or better choices of the menu.
First time there, on a Saturday, on a date with my husband.
The ambiance is perfectly right: the lighting, the music & its volume.
The staff is professional & very nice.
The food & the drinks just as perfect as the rest.
It was such a great discovery & will definitely go back.
Oct 22, 2023
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Brenan was an amazing server, & their bar-chefs clearly know how to craft an excellent cocktail, for drinks or for food this place is a must! Best new bar in montreal for sure
Good luck to the second Hakka restaurant to open in Montreal, the bar couldn’t be higher. Top service, amazing drinks, & authentic Hakka. Already looking forward to our next visit.
Saw a few posts about how this is the first Indo-Chinese restaurant in Montreal. As someone who grew up eating hakka chinese every other week, Oorja was immediately added to my list of places to try. It did not disappoint. The service, ambience, drinks, food, literally every single thing was absolutely phenomenal & so authentic. Will be going back often.
The food was good, but the service was atrocious.
We waited about 30 mins before someone came to take the drinks order. We asked for the wine selection, it took another 20 mins before the waiter came back with options, only to propose only one option of bottle of wine, for 85$ the bottle. Since we had been waiting for so long, we decided to take the bottle. The server didn't know how to uncork the bottle, we had cork pieces in our glass, & he didn't even check if the bottle wine was corked before serving. If I'm paying for an 85$ bottle, I'm expecting the service to follow. If not, put 45$ bottle on your menu!
Then I find out later through our research that this bottle retails for 19$. I find it appalling to sell a 19$ bottle at 85$ in a restaurant.
The food was delicious, but we wanted to order some more because the portions were small. The waiter brought us back the menu & never came back for the order. After 30 minutes of waiting, we decided to just ask for the bill & leave. After another 20 mins of waiting for someone to bring us the machine to pay, we decided to just get up & go to the bar to pay, otherwise we would have waited forever.
So basically, my experience consisted of waiting for service & obtaining bad service.
I do not recommend this restaurant, & I will not go back.
Sep 22, 2023
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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.
