First things first. A huge thank you to the team at Orchid for not only opening a new restaurant in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, but for having the courage to bring a vegan Chinese restaurant to York.
And judging by the packed crowd Saturday night, the courage paid off.
The restaurant (formerly Tida Thai) on George Hudson Street was fully booked during the time we were seated from 7pm to 9pm.
A hand sanitizing station greeted us in the foyer, and a monitor fixed to the wall took our forehead temperature before entering, flashing green if it was within acceptable limits. All our details were recorded for track and trace.
Considering these precautions, it was surprising that none of the wait staff were wearing masks. Although this is not required, many other restaurants I have visited recently have staff wearing face coverings.
We were given laminated menus to study. It's A4 single sided and has always been my preference. Restaurants sometimes offer too many items. I hate spending ages choosing a meal and worrying that I ended up choosing the wrong dish.
Although Orchid's menu is limited, we were happy to try each dish listed.
Starters include 'snacks' such as dried okra and vegan crackers, and a choice of three soups (from £2.50 to £3). It also includes nine “small plates” that can be combined with tapas style to add up to one plate. Meals (prices from £4 to £6).
The Orchid Vegan Crackers
These small plates include fried dumplings, spring rolls, vegan crab skewers, salt and pepper tofu, vegan scallop balls with satay sauce, vegan king king mushrooms with salt and pepper, vegan chicken in black bean sauce, stir-fried broccoli, salt and pepper vegan, and more. Ta. squid.
Looking at the menu, it's clear that The Orchid is determined to create traditional Chinese cuisine that will appeal to both non-meat and non-meat eaters, but will also appeal to meat and fish lovers. and tempt them with vegan alternatives like beef and duck. , chicken, shrimp, and squid.
This is a smart strategy because The Orchid doesn't want to open a restaurant for a niche audience, it wants to appeal to everyone. At least for any fan of Chinese food.
This imitation game is also reflected in all nine main menu items, including Chinese dishes such as sweet and sour shrimp, roast duck and fish with sweet chili sauce.
To start, we shared crackers (£2.50), gyoza (£4), spring rolls (£4) and the vegan King Kingfish (£5) with salt and pepper. The crackers were dark brown and very crunchy. A pleasant flavor start. The spring rolls were also great, loaded with plant protein and veggies along with the sweet chili dip. I couldn't live without gyoza. Since it was only fried on one side, it was a bit heavy and quite bland.
In stark contrast, the “shrimp” was outstanding.
Crispy “shrimp” – hard to tell the difference
“In a blind test, you would have a hard time distinguishing these from the real thing,” said one in our group of four. Indeed, it shared a striking resemblance and taste with the real thing. It looked like a shrimp, its whole body white and rubbery. The taste was a little gelatinous, but not unpleasant. When I asked the waitress, she told me that it was made using konnyaku, a Japanese plant. we were impressed.
We marveled at the culinary alchemy of Orchid's chefs as we sampled main dishes such as Crispy Vegan Shredded Beef with OK Sauce (£7), King King Teriyaki (£7) and Lemon Chicken.
My daughter tried to dissect the shredded “beef”, almost unable to believe it wasn't real. “I think this is a mushroom,” she said after the forensic examination. Anyway, it was very delicious. The crunchy little 'bugs' were seasoned with a sweet, tangy and gooey sauce and served with a spoonful of plain rice (additional charge of £2).
My husband and another friend both enjoyed the king king teriyaki with asparagus. The thick, tender mushroom slices are the perfect sponge for a glossy, sweet, savory, garlicky sauce that pairs wonderfully with a bed of top-shelf noodles and is almost a meal on its own (and A bargain at £3.50).
My lemon chicken was also an achievement.
The Orchid Lemon Chicken
The “chicken” was made from soybeans and had the color of cooked pork. It was coated in a crispy batter and served with a jelly-like yellow lemon sauce. If you have given up eating meat and are missing it, I can see that this will be a great addition for you. But I still eat meat and fish, so in my mind it remained the next best thing to the real thing. But a pretty good second best!
The portion was generous and I was full at this point. However, we shared one of the three desserts, a Lotus Biscoff bar with vegan chocolate ice cream. (5.50 lbs.). I'm glad I did it. This was like a cheesecake (but obviously dairy-free) and outstanding. The ice cream was smooth and chocolatey and a great accompaniment.
Once again, hats off to some of York's brightest and most talented chefs.
A trip to The Orchid is more than just eating out, it's like attending a magic show.
The Orchid Vegan Restaurant
George Hudson Street, York
Phone: 01904 625855
Reservation: opentable.co.uk
Order: just-eat.co.uk
Food: Innovative 4/5
Atmosphere: Great 3.5/5
Service: mostly good 3.5/5
Value: very good 4/5
Reviews are independent and meals are paid for by the press.
