In these inflationary times, going to a restaurant is a luxury, so much so that we seek to treat ourselves to tasty and refined dishes that take us elsewhere.
This is exactly what the menu offers at Oorja, an Indo-Chinese restaurant which recently opened on rue Notre-Dame Ouest, in Saint-Henri.
Charan Vaddadi wanted to introduce Montrealers to Hakka cuisine, but at a more refined level. “Hakka cuisine is vast and very tasty. In India, it is considered street foodbut I always saw the potential to make it mainstream “, he explains.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
So beautifully presented, the spring rolls are made with lamb.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Tasty, this salad focuses on mixing textures.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY OORJA
Mussels cooked in coconut milk are served with fried curry leaves and ginger.
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Charan Vaddadi moved to Montreal to study. After obtaining his master’s degree at Concordia University in building engineering, he wanted to pursue his passion for food. While learning at Wienstein & Gavino’s, he began dreaming of having his own restaurant, but eventually accepted a job in his field of study in Ottawa.
The pandemic forced him to extend his visit to India to visit his parents in Hyderabad. “I thought I would be there for 15 days, but I stayed there for a year,” he says.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
A cocktail at Oorja
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
With a tiki spirit, this cocktail, prepared with rum (69% alcohol), brilliantly and freshly reinvents the Zombie.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Cory Quinn makes the “40 Birds” cocktail with gin flavored with lavender and yuzu, and prepared with aquafaba, which replaces egg whites.
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Charan Vaddadi had some time to cook. Then when her mother ended up in the hospital with COVID, it was a revelation: why postpone her dream until later?
Upon his return to Canada, Charan Vaddadi left Ottawa to work for Otto Yakitori. Then, he had to visit 22 premises before finding the one at 4293, rue Notre-Dame Ouest last December.
In the kitchen, he hired chef Camara Boodram, born in Trinidad and Tobago and trained in cooking in Vancouver. We weren’t able to taste his five-spice braised pork belly dish, the recipe of which came from his grandmother, but we savored every bite of his paneer cheese chili sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Oorja’s dining room is bathed in light.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Charan Vaddadi prides himself on having opened the first officially Hakka restaurant in Montreal. With its cocktail bar atmosphere, Oorja’s formula is certainly unique.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Oorja: a very appetizing addition to Saint-Henri
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At the bar – the central figure of Oorja – we find Cory Quinn and Jess Long, who spend hours experimenting with different cocktails with tamarind syrup or even chai tea (and who helped their friend Charan create the inviting decor of Oorja). Those who prefer to drink wine have no shortage of choice with a selection of bottles from the Rézin and Balthazard agencies.
“We are going to add seafood to the fall menu,” announces Charan Vaddadi.
This is an excellent reason to return to Oorja, open from Tuesday to Sunday and also at lunchtime during the week.
4293, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal