My last post about Omi I wrote about the Japanese menu which I wasn’t particularly impressed with and wondered if the Chinese menu wasn’t what kept this place going in the face of a poor location made very difficult to get to by heavy Essen Lane traffic at any and all meal times. That is exactly the case. I returned several times to go Chinese and I’m very glad I did. I went with pork egg rolls with hot and sour soup and Omi Pork on my first return trip.
I can’t really speak to authenticity in Chinese food since I’ve never been to China, but these dishes are unique to my experience of Chinese since they employ a completely independent flavor profile from standard Chinese-American fare. The egg roll was house made (you could tell by the non-standard size and shape as well as the chopped rather than shredded cabbage inside) the hot and sour soup was barely sour at all, and the heat was black instead of red pepper. The melt in your mouth pork belly and potatoes of the Omi Pork (got to try it if they put their name to it) had a deep rich sauce. The menu describes the dish as “skin-on pork belly meat slowly simmered in slightly sweet and salty black sauce.” My guess is the sauce is a combo soy/demi, but I can’t say for sure. It did have a deep cilantro current that wasn’t provided by just the garnish. Very good stuff. Next visit I went with Cumin Lamb. Sliced lamb and white and green onion stir fried with a healthy dose of cumin. Completely unexpected. Wildly successful.
Last, but certainly not least, I got the Beef Hot Pot. Oh my. It came out in a little mini wok atop a sterno burner bubbling away and stacked with sliced beef and lettuce and bok choy and chilis and cilantro and everything just enhanced the beef flavor. Literally one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. The egg drop soup was better than any I’ve had as well. So glad I kept digging, because I have found a true treasure .
