05/21/09

Fantastic seafood!

by CSMobileUser

The seafood is fantastic. Be sure to speak to your server and inquire about what's fresh and/or isn't on the menu. You won't be disappointed.

01/26/09

Consistently bad

by SKSNY

I gave Oriental Garden another chance to win my approval, but, yet again, the food was mediocre and the service was appalling. I went for dim sum and most of the dumplings were very glutinous (more so than the average dim sum house). I will give kudos though to the the tofu-skin wrapped around the pork and shrimp. I asked for a glass of water THREE times and when it was finally brought to me there was food or some other substance visibly floating around in it. My previous excursion for their infamous fresh seafood also proved to be a total disappointment. The seafood that we ordered was already prepared and lacked taste. There was no walking to the tank to get our 'live' dinner. And the service was once again awful. I don't get the hype for this place. Jing Fong next door has better dim sum, service, and for that matter decor.

• Cons: service

01/02/09

Children seated next to a RODENT!

by Foodie0909

We read in Zagat guide that this was a good restaurant for Dim Sum and while the food and service were average, there was a large rodent in the dinning area! Not only did the staff ignore the problem, as did the manager once we notified him, they actually seated a family with two small children at the same table that the large rodent had been hiding under. They knew full well where they were seating the children much to our horror! Furthermore, they did not discount our food despite their obvious health code violation.

• Pros: Seems like a nice restaurant
• Cons: rodent infestation!

08/19/08

Very very average

by richakn

It may be know for it's seafood but it's standards in other areas are less than impressive. Scallops in black bean were lacking in flavour, beef fried rice was ok but nothing special. Appetisers were so so, the dumpling pretty good but the spring rolls were greasy and over fried. $75 for two with only one beer per person, doesn't represent good value - I've eat a lot better Chinese food for a lot less. The service was also poor, the rice arrived before the last of the appetisers and I was almost finished with my main before by friend got his, so he was eating rice by itself until his arrived.......

08/09/08

Delicious Dim Sum, no line

by mmilikefood

The dim sum was hot, fresh, and delicious. My hunt for good dim sum in NY is over. The Shumai was very good, they also pictures of all the dumplings that you could order from the kitchen. The sticky rice was amazing, same with the shrimp wrapped in rice noodles, the slimy ones with the sauce that tastes so good. A+

• Pros: Best Dim Sum, doesn't compare to the fishy gross frozen places around
• Cons: it took a little while because there was only 2 carts. But it was still fast since it is a smaller place

04/22/08

Best Chinese SEAFOOD restaurant in Manhattan

by samurai98

The reviewers that have focused on OGSR's dim sum have TOTALLY missed an obvious point -- this is a SEAFOOD restaurant, not a dim sum palace. While OGSR's dim sum is good, it really stands out in preparation of seafood; It is the best such Chinese restaurant in Manhattan, in my opinion. For starters, try the steamed shrimp cooked from live shrimp taken from the tank; the taste is so much sweeter than the non-live alternative. The fried oysters are wonderful, as are razor clams with black bean sauce. The crab dishes prepared from crabs from the tank are another favorite. Live fish can be prepared in any of several different ways. Suggestions from the maitre d' can be quite helpful. The service, while brisk, is attentive, and the place is really clean, compared with other restaurants in Chinatown (bathrooms are actually clean). The decor is very nice, the restaurant having undergone renovation only a couple of years ago.

• Pros: The seafood, the service, general cleanliness, including bathrooms
• Cons: Can be quite busy at times, especially weekends for lunch

03/31/08

Superb Dim Sum, Great Service

by cobraman332

I was here last Saturday afternoon for my first ever dim sum experience with a friend who has considerable knoweledge of East Asian food. The experience was one I won't soon forget and I am anxious to return here. The food was all delicious and I tried lots of new items that I'd never order at a typical Chinese restaurant. No issues whatsoever with the service... food was brought to us as soon as we sat down, and it didn't stop for a while. We shared our table with three older women who seemed to be enjoying themselves as well, and I didn't even mind that we weren't at our own table. After a huge meal that made it hard for us to walk, I was really surprised to see our bill come to just $45 for two people. Add a tip onto that and I'd say we had an enormous, fantastic lunch for a very reasonable price. Can't wait to head back here... I'd recommend it to any of my friends without hesitation.

• Pros: Great Food, Fast Service, Cheap
• Cons: Minor Communication Issues (but better than expected)

02/12/08

Nothing Spectacular

by theworldaccordingtojenny

I totally agree with andytak and friendsandfood (see comments below). I am a true New Yorker and this place is overpriced for dim sum. You can find better dim sum restaurants in Chinatown or Flushing for cheaper. Plus when you look around the restaurant do you really see any locals eating there? The food is an "edited" version of dim sum to me. I want the real stuff like chicken feet and tripe! The management there caters to certain people.

• Cons: This is Dim Sum?

05/23/07

Food and palce was good...but under bad management

by andytak

I have to totally agreed with the viewer "friendsandfood", this place used to be great for locals to go to and have a very nice dinner at a reasonable price. But since 4 years or so ago this place became very expensive and out of the range of some locals to go to. And there are ALOT of fried stuffs now and not tasting that good any longer.

Most of their customers going there now is more like tourists that came to visit the area on their own or some tour groups. You know what these are not the kind of people that would go to the same place week after week if it is good. They would come once a year if you are lucky and word of month advertising...yea they would tell their friends but will they actually coome who knows. I don't understand why the new management is doing all these on purpose to drive locals away.

If I'm traveling especially to a place where English is not the main language I would like to go to a place where I would see lot's of locals go to and eat. Not just a place where all I see are tourists.

• Pros: Nothing now after this new management took over
• Cons: Over priced, over rated and the place is small

12/03/06

Overrated by Zagats - merely average food

by plinko9999

Went here because Zagat's rates as top Chinese in NYC. Got a great table downstairs, away from the drafty entrance, but overall we were disappointed in the food. The steamed dim sum dumplings were good; however, the chef's special prawns/scallops in black pepper sauce were heavily breaded and offered only moderate flavor. The chef's special crab with pea shoots was also oily and was bland. The mango pudding for dessert was good. The complimentary hot tea was good, too. Overall, we were disappointed because we just expected better.

• Pros: good tea, good dim sum, good dessert
• Cons: oily and heavily breaded entrees