ottawa foodies

Skip the dishes was free so we did. Beef and broccoli, General Tao's Chicken and spicy Szechuan Noodles.

Every dish was unbalanced with either garlic, ginger, sugar or salt.

The egg rolls were pretty good.

I miss the days of free delivery. I would order in more often.

I came with my family and we ordered a load of food. Everything was good enough but the dish that really stood out was the Fried Rice Noodle with Beef and Black Bean Sauce. Wide flat rice noodles, green peppers, beef, mixed with mild black bean sauce. Oh that wok hei! Mindblowingly delicious and addictive. If you haven't tried it, please do. Get yourself a takeout order and inhale it all by yourself without sharing! Then get a second order to share with the people you love.

I spent all last week with Yang Sheng on my mind. So when take-out night rolled around again last Saturday I just had to try some more dishes.

Last weekend's order included spring rolls (exactly what I was craving - thanks Rizak!), beef hunan style (very good but a tad too spicy for me), and vegetable fried rice (awesome). I would say my favourite item at this resto are the fried rice dishes. The vegetables/meat are cooked to perfection and the rice has a nice consistency. I still have two pages worth of menu items to try...

Yeah, that looks about right. Spring rolls, not egg rolls.

Okay, I know what I'm ordering later this week.

Rizak Thanks for the tips. I love this place and am planning on making this one of my regular take-away places. Just wondering about the spring rolls you order - are they like the ones pictured on the right? Just wondering because that's what I had my mind on when I saw the menu but got something different... I'm asking so I know what to order next time-;)

@chopper: we always try to get an order of the steamed rice noodle, or as I like to call it, the slippery noodle. There is no polite way to eat it without a fork and knife.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is my favourite Asian take away restaurant. Has been since I moved here in 1985.

The Shanghai noodles are excellent. If ordering on a Friday night though, ask for them to be extra spicy because things seem to be toned down a bit for the weekend 'round-eyes' crowd.

I've never ordered the egg rolls, preferring the spring rolls (also excellent, if a touch on the greasy side).

I always order an extra pound of BBQ pork to take home and freeze so I have some around the house when making cool rice dishes. Just pour the sauce in a plastic freezer bag along with the pork, suck out the air and it keeps a long time. Break out enough to use, put the rest back. The crispy beef is good by the pound, too.

I received a booklet of take-out menus in my mailbox recently and it included a menu for Yang Sheng. My booklet usually ends up in the recycling bin since most of the restos don't interest me and I already have the take-out/delivery menus for the places I like. But the reviews on OF intrigued me and on the occasions I have passed the resto it always seems busy.

After perusing their very long menu I decided to order a combination plate so I could sample a variety of things. My meal started off with one egg roll which was rectangular in shape and closed at both ends and it looked like the stuffing was entirely vegetables and no pork. Not a big deal I am just accustomed to cigar-shaped pork rolls. The only thing that really bothered me is that the egg roll had an overpowering taste of what tasted like cloves. I wouldn't order them again.

The main course included chicken balls, beef ribs, and chicken fried rice. I was pleasantly surprised by the chicken balls - they were coated in a thin batter and they were filled with very large pieces of moist chicken. Likewise the beef ribs were fall-off-the-rib moist. The chicken fried rice had lots of very moist chicken and they certainly didn't skimp on it.

All in all it was a nice meal and I look forward to trying some of the items recommended below.

Date of Visit: July 26, 2012

Yang Sheng sits just outside the ornate archway leading into Ottawa’s Chinatown and I have passed by it many times. On this last visit to the capital, I decided to go there for a light lunch and check out their ‘small plate’ offerings…

The Dishes
Poached Pork Dumpling ... Rating: 3 out of 5
Har Gow ... Rating: 2 out of 5
Chiu chow style dumpling ... Rating: 2 out of 5
Shrimp and Chive dumplings ... Rating: 1 out of 5

Overall
It would be unfair of me to dismiss this place on the basis of the handful of dumplings I tasted and, despite my negative experience with the quality of those selections, I still think that Yang Sheng is a place worth investigating in a little more depth. The service was decent, and I genuinely enjoyed the experience on the whole, so I can easily foresee going back sometime to sample some of the other dishes on offer… Rating: 3 out of 5

See full pictorial review at: sybaritica.me

Beef Hunan style. $11

Tasty, a touch spicy. Watching my carbs so I had it sans rice.

here is the steamed rice noodle with BBQ pork. side of hot sauce. I can't get enough of this stuff. i think maybe it's a love it or hate it sort of thing.

The GT's chicken was pretty good here. We like it a little spicier but it was certainly better than average. Worth ordering if you're a fan of it.

This version is less breaded than most and actually spicy, a refreshing change. Most General Tao chicken are too sweet. This was served on a bed of broccoli which is similar to the "original" version of General Tso that originated from California, according to the documentary "In Search of General Tso".