Osmanthus Chinese Fusion Restaurant — Restaurant in Richmond

Osmanthus Chinese Fusion Restaurant Address: 4151 Hazelbridge Way #2788, Richmond, BC V6X 3R8

Food

Japanese Hitachigyu Wagyu Beef with Scallion and Black Garlic The presentation of this dish was inviting, with a careful arrangement that highlighted the premium nature of the Wagyu. The beef was well-seasoned, with the scallion and black garlic enhancing its natural flavors. However, the quality was inconsistent—while some pieces were tender and succulent, others were disappointingly tough, which detracted from the overall enjoyment of the dish. For a cut of beef as renowned as Wagyu, this inconsistency was particularly noticeable.

Rating: 6/10

Fried Organic Tiger Prawns with Salad Dressing This dish arrived with a visually pleasing presentation, featuring large, crispy tiger prawns. The prawns themselves were fresh and cooked well, with a satisfying crunch. However, the overall flavor profile was underwhelming, lacking the depth or distinctive taste to make it memorable. While the prawns were enjoyable, the dish needed a more pronounced seasoning or sauce to elevate it. As it stands, it was simply average. Rating: 7/10

Leek and Duck Fried Rice

The Leek and Duck Fried Rice was served in a generous portion, with balanced flavors. However, while the dish was well-prepared, it failed to leave a lasting impression. The rice was adequately seasoned, and the duck added richness, but there was little to set this dish apart from typical fried rice offerings. It was a competent dish, though not particularly innovative or standout. Rating: 6/10

Ambiance Osmanthus offers a comfortable and welcoming dining environment. The restaurant is clean, with a cozy and casual feel that makes it an inviting place for a meal. The decor is minimal but tasteful, contributing to a relaxed atmosphere. It’s an ideal setting for casual gatherings, though it doesn’t particularly evoke the fusion of cultures the menu promises.

Rating: 7/10

Service The service, unfortunately, was the weakest aspect of the dining experience. Despite the restaurant being far from full, we were not promptly seated, and it took quite some time for the staff to acknowledge our presence. Additionally, there were lapses in attention, such as a forgotten drink order, and a noticeable lack of engagement from the server, who did not inquire about our satisfaction with the meal at any point. The inattentive service detracted significantly from the overall experience. Rating: 2/10

Price Considering the inconsistencies in the food and the lackluster service, the pricing at Osmanthus feels excessive. While the restaurant positions itself as a higher-end fusion dining experience, the execution did not meet the expectations set by the premium pricing. There is a notable disparity between the cost and the overall value offered.

Verdict Osmanthus Chinese Fusion Restaurant presents a comfortable atmosphere, but the experience is undermined by inconsistent food and subpar service. While there are moments of promise, particularly in the presentation of the dishes, the overall execution leaves much to be desired. Significant improvements in both the kitchen and front-of-house service would be necessary to justify a return visit at these...

I was wandering around the mall and noticed this restaurant opened up not too long ago. I took a quick look at the menu that was displayed outside by the entrance and its mission statement. Sounds pretty intriguing to me, Chinese fusion with the Song dynasty influence? (The early establishment of restaurants and fusion cooking actually started around that period in history if I am somewhat correct?)

Greeted by the host/ manager at the entrance and led to my tiny table. Inside seemed to be newly renovated with simple yet modern furnishings and decors.

Here were the food I ordered;

Stewed duck soup with salted bamboos . I didn’t expect much of this but surprisingly it’s a very tasty rich soup. I would order it again. Fresh meat XiaoLongBao. The thickness of the skin is a bit inconsistent, some are nice and thin and some are thicker. The meat wasn’t as fluff and tender as I like them. Plus the soup was more toward the light gravy taste and texture. Definitely missing the nice clear soupy taste. Seafood dry tossed vermicelli in clay pot. Very nicely done! All the ingredients balanced with each other and the vermicelli had great texture plus didn’t clump together. Tasty dish! Chilli and Szechuan pepper oil seafood platter (cold). Nice clear taste but the prawns were a bit overcooked and used squid, the menu said octopus lol (the restaurant should correct that on the menu). Song’s sweet and sour fish. The taste was okay nothing special and the fish meat was overcooked and stiff. Had way better ones at other places. Song’s Dongpo pork. Beautiful colour and texture. I really enjoyed this one! Almost melted in my mouth especially when the meat was tender and not stringy. Fresh stewed Malaysia birds nest (papaya). It’s on promo for $28.95 per serving. Quite disappointed with this one. I expected it to come inside a whole papaya that’s stewed, that’s the proper fine dining way. Instead just came with a few pieces of diced papaya. To me this is the fast food version.

Overall, the layout of the restaurant creates a causal and comfortable atmosphere. The food was give and take; some were decently good and some definitely needed a bit of refinement. As for the service, besides the lady boss herself who’s trying her best to take care of the customers, the rest of the servers were quite lacking especially when it is trying to gear toward the fine dining category.

I would say it’s more of a casual dining restaurant than fine dining in terms of food quality, service and atmosphere. The only fine dining was...

I came to this restaurant last weekend upon seeing social media posts about it as a new option in Richmond, at the Aberdeen Center. The videos look so enticing and it appears the food is a fusion of Shanghainese and different northern Chinese cuisine.

Overall the flavours and presentation of the food is good and consistent. We ordered the fried gluten and mushroom as appetizer, then seasonal garlic stir fried vegetables, seafood vermicelli casserole, Shanghainese meatballs, the handmade layer cake, and noodles with wagyu beef (for a whopping $32! but comes with six thinly sliced, square-shaped pieces of beef...........).

Given what is in Richmond, and in the greater Vancouver area, I will not return to this restaurant. Here are my reasons:

(1) Stir-fried vegetables: marked as $15.95. When we asked the serving manager what options there are, he listed them....but never once mentioned that there is additional cost for some of the vegetables. Without knowing this, we ordered "dou miu" only to find it at the end in the bill it is charged $6 extra. This is dishonest practice and you will get one-time customers only with this approach.

(2) The fried gluten and mushroom was small in portions. For a $11.95 appetizer, this is robbery. See photo.

(3) We tried the noodles with wagyu beef as there was no other option for soup noodles on the menu. We were surprised that the slices of wagyu beef was the size of what you get at Korean BBQ - thin, square-shaped. 6 slices in total. The rest was noodles and soup. A few strands of gai lan. $32.95. At best serves 2. You be the judge.

(4) They have influencers reviewing their restaurant raving about their XLB. If you want the crab one, 6 will cost you $32 too (!!!!!!!!). But, the server says they were sold out. This was a Sunday at 7:30 pm - prime weekend dinner time. The restaurant was not even half full. Not sure if this was a tactic to try to get returning customers, or they truly ran out. No mention on the menu that this XLB is sold in limited quantities per day.

(5) The handmade fluffy cake is a joke. Looks pretty on social media, with steam and all in the videos. Overall the taste is bland, partially as there wasn't much red bean paste inside each one, with the gelatinous shell pretty bland.

Lots and lots of Chinese food options in the greater Vancouver area, so try to do better, adjust your prices given your food servings, decor and target market of your restaurant, or you won't last in this competitive Asian food market known...