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!
The lamb spring rolls were really good! Manchurian chicken as well. I would recommend sharing many plates. Prices are alright but 18$ for a glass of wine is quite expensive.
Food was excellent! Meat was melting in mouth, ingredients are obviously quality, waiter was caring & awesome. Was my first time & I would happy go back. Prices were right to!
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.
Loved the place. Loved their food. The perfect indo Chinese cuisine that I have been looking for! I had the cocktail (Forty Birds or fifty? Forgot the exact name) it was a little too sour, so go for it if you like this taste. Place is a little smaller & it is hard to bring in a big gang. Service was very good. Will definitely recommend this place to all my friends
Feb 15, 2024
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Je ne recommande pas ce restaurant du tout. J'ai découvert ce restaurant suite à plusieurs bonnes reviews sur Instagram par des influenceurs. Franchement, c'était jour & nuit versus ce que nous avons reçu. 1. Les dumplings étaient plutôt une soupe (voir la photo). Ils n'étaient aussi pas cuit de façon uniforme. 2. Le porc braisé comptait plus de pièces de gras, que de porc. Un goût d'épices brûlées assez omniprésent dans tout le porc braisé! Les juliennes étaient mal coupés, comme si c'était la première fois que quelqu'un faisait des juliennes. 3. Le service était lent. 30min d'attente avant de recevoir quoique ce soit, alors que le restaurant n'était pas plein. 2/5
Vous devez vous occuper d'avoir une carte des vins & expliquer votre menu au client. Lorsque vous êtes trois à servir & que deux jasent entre eux au lieu de nous servir & oubli nos boissons, nous trouvons que c'est un manque à notre égard .
Mauvaise expérience! Le serveur s'est trompé 2 fois sur le prix d'un vin (btl) & il en a résulté que nous avons dû payer pour 2 verres à $22/ch!! Vraiment pas dans notre budget!! Mon conjoint a demandé combien approximativement il y avait de moules pour son repas & le serveur lui a dit euhhh entre 15-20... il y en avait 8 dont 2 minuscules!! Je lui ai demandé si 2 piments 🌶️ 🌶️ c'est très fort & il m'a répondu moyen mais je vais demander qu'ils ajustent en conséquence ... je n'ai pratiquement rien mangé car c'était vraiment trop piquant !
Le serveur n'est jamais revenu nous voir ( il devait être gêné de toutes ses erreurs) , personne ne nous a demandé si notre repas était à notre goût, & notre serveur ne nous a même pas salué à notre départ...
Très ordinaire malheureusement:(
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.
Food was excellent- but way too spicy for myself & two guests. It was not 2 star spicey- more like 4 star. Not sure I will return because menu options for mains at one star not present on menu.
Third time eating at your establishment & want to support local businesses- but please consider older clientele who may not digest spices at same intensity as your chef prepares them.
Il faisait froid dans le resto, j'ai commandé 2 services que je n'ai jamais reçu & les robinets pour le lavabo pour se nettoyer les mains ne fonctionnait pas.
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.
