Ottawa Foodies

Captain Caper re: 'Lu Beef'

I scoured Google and found a little blog with a couple pictures of 'Lu Beef'

quote from the blog:
"Lu" is a kind of Chinese stew. You can pretty much cook everything in the stew. The "lu" sauce consists of soy sauce, wine, sugar, water, and Asian spices. Things are cooked in this "lu" sauce for hours.

www.xanga.com/eileen216 (check halfway down the page)

Went today for lunch. Had the Pan Fried Green Onion Bread. Yummy yummy and damn near 2 pounds of goodness for 4 bucks ! Also had the Wonton Soup. As a previous poster says, this is really good (the best I had in this city). Not only large, but full of homemade wontons that 'fluttered' in my mouth. The other dish, Szechuan Beef on Rice was quite authentic (I've been to China in 1985), but it had a some zuchinni in it ? Not a bad suprise.

Anyone wanting the original sizes of the menu can leave me a message.

I bet ordering over the phone could be challanging... they answered the phone with a "Nee-How" ('Hello' in Mandarin).

Sorry no food porn this time ... food was gone before I got to my camera.

20 dumplings for 7 bucks !?! A steel !!

Has anyone ever had a cold dish named Lu Beef ? I tried Wiki and Google... no luck.

I wonder what there "Mandarin Style Whole Fish" would be like.

This place is the definition of DIVE. It is a teeny tiny place with like, 3 tables, none of which have matching chairs, and not-in-the-best-shape linoleum floors. (IE: I wouldn't stay for the ambience - take-out or delivery would be my recomendation).

I wandered in here one day in search of a soothing wonton soup because I was sick and it was the closest chinese place to my house. The wonton soup was TERRIFIC (nice flavourful broth, not over salty like so many other places, handmade dumplings) and only $3.25 for a nice big portion! I returned to try Hot and Sour Soup the next time, and it was TERRIFIC too (only $2.75! - see further comments under "hot and sour soup" below.

I've tried a few more dishes here and there and have been satisfied to various degrees though everything has always been tasty and fresh - and the soups have consistently been terrific . Some dishes seem to be authentic chinese, others seem to be chinese-canadian so satisfaction may depend on what you order. I notice that when you go in, there is a separate menu written only in chinese - I'm curious to know if there are more interesting, exotic and authentic dishes on this one that are not included on the English one (I've seen this at other places, so I'm just curious).

The menu is not quite as extensive as some other places, but the price is MUCH better. The most expensive thing on the menu is $11.25 - which are the 3 seafood dishes. Other mains range from $4.25 (!) for fried rice, to $9.75 for various chicken, beef and pork dishes.

Dumplings: Handmade on site. You get 25 (!) with an order ($4.99 - $6.99 depending on what kind you get) as opposed to the normal 5-8 you get at other places. Dumplings are very tasty, however I found them to be a little doughy - probably due to having been handmade and not rolled by machines.

Honey Garlic Ribs: Chinese-can maybe, but holy crap were they tasty. I kept going back to the fridge to sneak more. $6.95

Fried rice: Not a fan myself, but boyfriend who is a BIG FANATIC said he would put it above Ging Sing for flavour, value, and texture.

Service has always been friendly and polite, although a bit strained sometimes due to language barrier :), but note CASH ONLY (no credit OR debit)

I'm a bit of a Hot and Sour Soup freak and try it everywhere I can. I have a favorite in Winnipeg MB and am constantly searching for an equivalent here in Ottawa. I had given up until I tried this teeny little dive. Best hot and sour soup I've had in this city! Surprise!

It's dark and rich and loaded with tofu and goodness. (I personally prefer a darker H&S Soup - as opposed to the clearish yellowy gingery kind that most places have). It's nice and thick (not too thick - ie: not that over cornstarched thick that so many places have). It's got a nice bite that will make your nose run, nice and spicy - but not overwhelmed with heat - the flavour is the real star here.

Oh, the best part - CHEAPO! Only $2.75 for a nice big serving!!!!!

Now I actually haven't tried the Veg. Potstickers here yet, however I thought they were worth a mention because of the interesting variety and good price - plus the dumplings are handmade. I've been tempted to try them because the fillings seem so weird - if someone tries them please post to let me know how they were!

- Chives with Eggs ($4.99 for 25)
- Dandelion (!) ($5.99 for 25)
- Hezi - chives, eggs, rice noodles (1.09ea)

Mousse is definitely referring to the one across from the Manila Hut and 134 Market. It used to be Happy Buns Bakery (HK style buns), but they closed. F-i-H was referring to the one just down the street, as I see she *just* noted!

You are talking about Dong Ling (across from 134 Market, where Happy Buns used to be) I'm assuming? DongLing (no space)the restaurant is up the street a few blocks close to the ChromeBoyz autoshop (where Wong Foo used to be). I noticed they had the same name but didn't know what Dong Ling (with space) was until now.

I'm not sure if this comment is in the right place...since Food is Hot's comment mentions hot food, and tables, and all I found is a little shop that sells frozen dumplings in a big bag.

I had the lamb and chive dumplings (I think, the lady did not speak english so I just pointed to the list on the front of one of the freezers) and $9 bought enough to serve as appetizers for 5 people.

THESE were dumplings worth eating! If I still lived in the hood I'd be buying them often even though I could make my own. They are much better than the prepackaged ones in the freezer section at UniMart.