Orchid Restaurant — Restaurant in White Bear Township

This was a delightful find, half-way between some Northern-based friends and me in the South metro. I told the wait staff that I'm both gluten-free and dairy-free, and I am so glad I did. They do have a gluten-free menu, but the wait person went to check on the dairy free part, and a good thing she did.

The soak many of their meats in milk before cooking, except for the prawns and beef tenderloin. I still opted for safety and had the Saigon Rice Noodles vegetarian dish, and some stir-fried veggies made GF on the side.

The noodle dish was quite tasty, and the combination of items was pretty interesting: cooked rice noodles (very fine), sauted carrot, fresh cucumbers, lettuce and bean sprouts. The tofu was also stir-fried I believe, and it was done to perfection. On the side is bowl of fish sauce and some other things which I poured over the entire bowl. I added the stir-fried veggies to it as well, which make a rich, lavish dish. I would definitely eat this again.

My table mates ordered family style, without any restrictions, and got lemongrass chicken, eggplant with prawns, and another dish I can't remember, and they ate quite a bit of it, with appreciative noises and comments.

Only lament of the evening was a Manhattan that was far too sweet for the person that ordered it.

The only thing that would keep from returning regularly is that it is located so far away. Otherwise,...

We try to eat here at least once every time we come to The Cities to visit relatives. It's a really nice Asian restaurant with a great selection of dishes an they use white chicken meat for nearly all of their many chicken entrees.

But the one thing that keeps me from giving that last star is consistency. I'm a creature of habit and generally order the General Tso Chicken each time I eat here. One time the chicken is moist and tender and the next time it's tough and way overcooked. The latter usually happens on a Friday or Saturday night when they're crowded. But even when it's overcooked, the sauce is wonderful.

I'm not deducting anything for it, but they need to find a way to block the odors from the kitchen to the dining area. Either better exhaust fans or something. When you leave the restaurant the first you need to do is go home, shower and change clothes.

Back to the positive things...the Orchid has absolutely the best fried rice I have ever eaten. My wife had the vegetable fried rice this evening and lucky for me she gave me half of it. I highly recommend...

The mall around it will probably make people question it. Most of the small strip mall is empty and some businesses have come and gone. Other than the movie theatre near it... seems pretty deserted.

Well let me tell ya this - don't let it keep you away. This restaurant is a diamond in the rough.

We went for lunch and tried the General Tso's Chicken and the Spicy Cashew Chicken. They were both very good. The chicken tasted very fresh. For me the spice level on the Gen. Tso's could be a bit higher but I'm sure it qualifies as Minnesota hot. The fried rice was also very good.

We opted for an egg roll with one meal and the cream cheese wontons for the other. Both were very good and didn't taste like oil like they can at so many asian restaurants.

The restaurant is pretty plain jane but nice. The service was good.

GLUTEN CONCERNS? We recently learned that Orchid has a fantastic gluten free menu and MOST meals can be made in gluten free way!

So, while the rest of the strip might need some love, the Orchid was very good. I think it will become a regular...