Oriental Basil 阿鈜滷肉飯

Trying out this new authentic Taiwanese cuisine with my family, as some friends recommended this place, after 老北肉羹 recently closed, and friends suggested to try this place, etc. So we went and gave it a try. It is located in a small plaza. Seating area atmosphere was just on par, sort of like a food court style, in terms the window blinds, even they are down, but it can't block the sunlight that well, hurting our eyes during eating. (It was approx 11am during our dine in time). We ordered the spicy beef noodle (紅燒牛肉麵), the broth was way too salty, and the noodle was thick noodle, not regular ones. (Not sure is there option can choose, or default is thick noodle). Also ordered pork floss egg pancake (肉鬆蛋餅), which was good. Also ordered the pan fried pork dumping (煎鍋貼), the saucing was too salty. Also ordered one cold Taiwanese Milk tea, very authentic Taiwanese taste. Overall, the staffs were friendly and great. However due to the food and seating atmosphere, I would only give 3 stars, as I was quite thirsty after 1 hour of eating, and require to drink a lot of water.

December 24, 2024 on Google

Authentic Taiwanese flavors! The popcorn chicken is a must try! Food portions are small so you can try a variety of different dishes. We will definitely be back to try other dishes.

November 17, 2024 on Google

Ambience: food court & canteen vibes, clean and brightly lit, casual and spacious Service: typical and meets expectations but nothing exceptionally good or bad Food: 4/5 Beef noodles had pretty good soup base, the meat was hit and miss, a few pieces was really good, a few pieces was dry and chewy. Minced pork rice was good and I would consider it authentic and definitely would order again. The sausage on sausage was ok, I wouldn't mind having it again too but it does miss the night market smokey taste. Cold platter was just ok, I think it's not marinated enough but it does have an authentic taste. Value: the price is on the economic side and most items have fair to good pricing that makes this place a good value place to dine at. Overall I like the food and just happy there are Taiwanese restaurants at all. Will return to try another 4 things next time.

November 11, 2024 on Google

This is a sit-down Taiwanese restaurant serving traditional Taiwanese night market foods. The spicy beef noodle soup was amazing and the popcorn chicken as well. I have to say the original egg pancake was a major surprise that we had to order again!!! There are many items that we will come back to try next time! I am glad we have this choice near our home town!

November 11, 2024 on Google

So happy this authentic Taiwanese shop opened up in this area. Food is consistently tasty and comforting. Dine in portion is larger than take out. Dine in is always packed during lunch hour and they do not take reservations. My go to are the squid balls, popcorn chicken bento and house thickened soup. The pork in the soup is surprisingly so tender. Winter melon tea is on the sweeter side.

November 10, 2024 on Google

If you ever feel like trying authentic Taiwanese food (at least get a taste of it, because there are just way too many!), Oriental Basil will not disappoint you. My go-to is definitely the oyster/intestine vermicelli. You can't seem to find it elsewhere! Obviously the famous Taiwanese deep fried popcorn chicken is on point, especially with the basil too. Would recommend trying the spicy and garlic option! Also recommend oyster pancake and Taiwanese sausage in sticky rice. Genuine Taiwanese food! It's spacious, bright and clean. You can see the open kitchen area and that's a rare sight for Asian restaurant for sure. The music playing is also what's popular in Taiwan (maybe not as most up-to-date lol, but as a Taiwanese, you'll certainly feel like home!)

November 1, 2024 on Google

Good Taiwanese eatery type restaurant. Service is very good and fast. Foods quality is good, portion size is average. I do think the price is above average since this is a small and more of fast food feel.

October 20, 2024 on Google

Edit - visited a few more times and also their beef noodles, it’s actually quite good! The soup is flavourful and the beef is very soft! Added another star . —- This restaurant is a nice addition to the area for sure. The food taste is on the lighter side (borderline being bland) in my opinion, the pricing is not cheap as well. Eg. The soup dumpling (小籠包）the price is $11.99 and Lee Chen Bistro (in Aurora) is about $9.99 if I remember correctly. The food is not bad overall and if u live close to it, it’s a good place to go in my opinion. But If u need to travel far to get here, your expectations could be higher and may end up being disappointed. Overall it’s about 3 to 3.5 stars factoring in the price.

August 24, 2024 on Google