L’Orchidée de Chine

This restaurant has been around for years (around 30 according to the owner) and it has been a family favourite for a long time. It’s the kind of place you come to when you want an upscale Chinese experience. The ambiance is that of a high end restaurant with cloth napkins and white table cloths and prices to reflect that. There is even a coat check which is great in winter when you don’t want to have to deal with your big coat.
In any Chinese restaurant I almost always start with a spring roll and hot and sour soup. I love their hot and sour soup. It’s actually got a bit of kick to it and it’s packed with vegetables and tofu making it very hearty. The spring roll is always crisp and never too greasy but the filling can be a little on the bland side.
Here you order multiple dishes and share them with your dining companions. Usually if you’re a small group your best bet is to order one dish per person because then there will be enough food so that everyone feels full when all is said and done. With the exception of a handful of dishes most of them are a good bet.
On my most recent visit we had General Tao chicken, crispy beef in a pancake, crispy duck seasoned with five flavoured salt and vegetable fried rice. The duck was tough and dry and wasn’t my favourite but the other dishes more than made up for it. The crispy beef in a pancake is well seasoned and the frying is done right just like it is for the General Tao chicken. I also liked the seasoning they used for it. The vegetable fried rice was just what you would expect for a solid one, loaded with vegetables and nice and salty.
Service is generally on the ball and it is usually speedy and attentive. Despite its age the restaurant has done an excellent job at maintaining its consistency over the years. While I have had one or two off visits the rest have always been up to expectations. You can be sure that I will keep coming back here again and again.

This is really just average Chinese food. I suppose if you are in downtown and don’t have other choices, this might be a decent option. If the price was about half of what it is, I would give it 3 stars. But whatever the price, it’s just average. You can get equally good food at your typical carry-​out place. We had mu-​shu pork, a wonton soup, and a dish with peas, mushrooms and tofu. All were average. Unless you just want to eat Chinese, and have lots of money to throw away, skip this place. Average dish price is right around $ 20. Unlike many Chinese restaurants, rice is not included with dishes; it’s $ 2.50 extra. Fortune cookies are not included either.

A pure chinese experience; the deco food and service were superb. I had the hot and sour soup, it was spicy but the right amount. Then we had the chicken w almond, my mom does not like spicy, so they made a good job w the right amount of spicy and great flavour.
I would come back on my next visit to Montréal.

I have been eating here for years. I love Asian food, but I find it much harder to get good Chinese compared to other Asian such as Thai. This place is Szechuan, and if you like that, you owe it to yourself to try it out.
I usually get the same thing here — General Tao chicken, lemon chicken, spicy shrimp, hot & sour soup and spring rolls. Their general Tao and spring rolls are the best I’ve had in Montréal. Best of all, they are consistent — the food is excellent every time.
As for ambiance and service, they’re average. But the food is so good it doesn’t matter!

Everything I ate was exceptional. The quality is evident in every bite. The veggies are fresh and cooked to excellence and the service is outstanding. Manager dealt with extremely rude customers with the outmost grace.

If your looking for chinese food this is the place to go. The food is great they serve quality dishes that don’t make you feel bloated (how I usually feel after eating chinese food). The décor is great, it gives the true feeling of an asian restaurant. Fast service and friendly staff ! Great place, will go back very soon!

Wonderful place for a crowd, great food and drink.
We tried the sea bas which was devine, flaky, soft. The duck was a bit dry for my taste but came in a delicious sauce that compensated nicely. Decent selection of wine. Be careful if ordering by the glass, it’s a hit or miss — some cheap Italian Pinot noir next to very nice Argentinean cab. The service was attentive, friendly, welcoming. The restaurant is well lit, warm. Prepare for a sticker shock, when you get the bill, but I liked it anyways.

Wonderful ambiance and food. Our group had delicious smokey, spicey spare ribs as an appetizer and I had a lovely, chicken and vegetable dish. The service was a bit slow but the owner explained that they were short a server or two. I’m always impressed when an owner is in an establishment and sharing the load. If we ever return to Montréal, this will be on my list again.

Possibly my favourite restaurant in Montréal. Really really good, but does get expensive.

A must stop each year we visit Montréal for the Formula 1! The food is multilayered and always has a great twist that makes it memorable. We had wanton soup, peanut butter ravioli (delicious), five spice smoke spare ribs (possibly the best I’ve ever had), generals chicken and Szechuan style beef.
I cannot say enough about how much I love this place

I am a Montréal native and l’Orchidee was a standard hit in our restaurant repertoire for many years. Tonight, both my mother and I agreed that this family favourite has sadly lost its lustre.
The food was satisfactory overall and included crispy spring rolls, bean paste, general tao, fish with bean sauce, and a moka ice ream cake (from Baskin Robbins);
however, the ambiance was sadly lacking. The waiters had a tendency to speedwalk/​sprint between the tables and the kitchen, which made us feel rather rushed ourselves. Much of the clientele was badly dressed — as if cargo shorts were the designated uniform for the evening! I am not one of those people who eat to be seen (as is the case for those dining at Cavalli across the street) but maybe it’s time that l’Orchidee introduced a dress code to maintain a level of class.

Spent Christmas/​NYE break on an eating/​walking vacation in Montréal. Had been to LODC on business before, and like the colleague who revealed it to me, I wanted to show it to my family.
Even though we weren’t hungry, we were close, so we stopped for the crispy spinach that surrounds one of their chicken dishes. Sweet, crispy/​crunchy, fragile, delicious. Ordered two chicken dishes before learning they do the spinach on the side… so ordered one of those, too.
Appetizer ribs are distinctly smoky and excellent.
I suggest Cavalli’s across the street for nightlife (and the world’s best bread pudding) after.