Sadly, we found this place closed on a saturday night which did not bode well. A friend who lives near there tried to come on a second occasion and found the lights turned off and a disturbing lack of tables.
I am saddened by the possibly loss of this little gem before it had a chance to take off.
[Shill Alert: The following post was likely made by someone affiliated with this vendor. Take it with a grain of salt.]
Great food! Great value! Friendly service! A new, small restaurant that is easy to miss... but a hidden treasure in Ottawa's Chinatown. It's clean, with great service, generous portions,and tasty meals in a casual and comfortable atmosphere. You are greeted with a fresh pot of tea on arriving, which is refilled during your stay there - no matter how long!
There are many options, especially for a vegetarian, as almost any meal has a vegetarian option. My personal favourite is the Pad Thai - slightly sweet, spicy, sweet and sour - it's a mix of fresh herbs, spices and the home made sauce is among the best I've had.
I spoke with the owner last week, who seems to be constantly changing and updating his menu, so it looks like this place is going to be better still...
A group of five of us were heading over to the Mee Xim for dinner when we realized that it was still on extended Christmas vacation. We saw this little hole in the wall and decided to give it a go.
The decor was relatively nice, with a pair of pastoral-scene paintings obviously original. The tea pots had an unfortunate tendency to spill a little when pouring, yet the tea itself was absolutely perfect.
I got the pork spring rolls ($3.95 for 3 of them), Vietnamese coffee and the seafood pad thai and the entire order came to under $20. The spring rolls were crisp and flavourful, working well with the ample dipping sauce provided. The Vietnamese coffee, sweetened condensed milk and all, was most delectable to the later regret of some of my caffeine sensitive friends.
The pad thai was quite frankly, the best I have ever had the pleasure to consume. It was a large plate, liberally mixed with healthy amounts of seafood (real crab, shrimp and squid I think). The presentation of the meal was excellent, with a little grated lettuce and carrot on the top of the mound of pad thai. While I have had relatively little pad thai in my lifetime, my companions assured me that it was pretty good compared to other restaurant versions of the dish. There was a real depth to the flavours.
Other dishes ordered by my friends included lemongrass beef with a rich and flavorful sauce which was still not too hot. I didn't try the ginger dish but apparently it was done equally well.
Try this place out if you have a chance, I am definitely coming back to this gem.
Jagash
I am saddened by the possibly loss of this little gem before it had a chance to take off.