Finkbeiner’s tasting at Oji Long in Old Town
Hanover. A “Tropical Sun Soup” (7.90 euros) is advertised on the menu of Oji Long in the old town as “a light specialty” that is “likely eaten at all times of the day” in Vietnam. I’ve never heard of the dish, but that doesn’t have to mean anything. According to the description, these include “briefly blanched beef fillet”, “fine broth” and a “green lime half”. Below is an appetizing photo of the supposed dish: flat rice noodles in broth, plus lots of fresh herbs such as mint and coriander, red chili, spring onions, red onions, lime wedges, freshly ground pepper and juicy beef.
Read more after the ad
Read more after the ad
The specialty is similar to the breakfast soup Pho Bo, and that’s exactly what I get when I order the dish – a Pho Bo. The waitress is still standing at the table when I say that it’s a pho bo. She nods and explains that it’s the Vietnamese breakfast soup. So why the misleading fantasy name? In addition, the dish consists of only four parts and, according to the fast-food chain principle, has little to do with the photo: flat rice noodles in a watery broth, a few chopped herbs and tough, overcooked beef. No eye candy. The meat doesn’t look like filet to me either, which would pass at the relatively low price.
Green backdrop: At Oji Long, plants are used as decoration.
© Source: Christian Behrens
The assessment IS made somewhat more difficult by the fact that the meat was cut along the grain – which no cook would actually do, since the long grains also have to be chewed up. But even when a fillet was processed in this way, the amount of connective tissue, tendons, and the intense structure of fibrous muscle were more indicative of the hip, certainly a part of the animal’s body that was actively used as a muscle. I ask the waitress, but after talking to the chef I am assured that it is filet. Nevertheless, I leave the dish (also because of the taste and the unambitious preparation). In the end I only get charged half.
Read more after the ad
Read more after the ad
Service leaves a lot to be desired
The fact that the situation does not reach the maximum level of unpleasantness is more due to the polite, hard-working and, even after my complaint, still approachable service staff. This character cannot be attributed to the rest of the team. Especially on the first visit, the employees are listless and joyless. The chefs behind the open kitchen face the arrival of the guests. People like to use mobile phones. The service only comes to the table after repeated requests.
When we first visit, we don’t feel like guests, but rather a means to an end, even if the food reflects the skills of the kitchen crew better. The soup “Endless Love” (4.50 euros) with light, salty broth, zucchini, mushrooms, coriander and dumplings is decent. The satay skewers (4.50 euros) with greasy chicken, sweet teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds are okay.
Meeting point for sushi friends: A large part of the menu at Oji Long focuses on rice rolls with fish.
© Source: Christian Behrens
Lots of sushi on the menu
However, much of the menu relies on sushi. For the inside-out rolls, I try the “Osaka IO” (8.10 euros), which is filled with crunchy cucumber sticks and canned tuna cream. More exciting are the Maki Maguro Special (4.50 euros) with tuna tartare, some spring onions and fiery chili, even if the fish cubes only appear as a chewing sensation. The salmon nigiri (4 euros) or tuna (4.80 euros) are appealing because of the ratio of the ingredients: little, well-cooked rice is juxtaposed with luscious slices of fish. Also good are the Maki Unagi with eel (4.80 euros). The maki with avocado and cucumber (3.50 euros each) combined with a little soy sauce are a tasty filling. The nori used, however, has a somewhat leathery texture, which makes it worth chewing with a few bites—probably the sushi filling’s moisture isn’t enough to soften the seaweed sheets.
Read more after the ad
Read more after the ad
Vegetarian platter tastes best
What I like best during the visits at the end is the vegetarian platter “Gado Gado” (16.90 euros), including nigiri with quickly meaty and malty shiitake mushrooms. The “Tea Lucky” Orient (3.50 euros) tastes good with fresh ingredients such as ginger, lime leaves and lemongrass. In my opinion, the lime lemonade “Supper Sumo” (4.50 euros) is too sweet, also because there is not enough sour lime juice to provide an adequate counterbalance to the cane sugar.
Nothing for cheering.
Conclusion:
Mediocre, Asian snack food in the old town flair. Overall 5/10 (Food 4, Service 5, Atmosphere 7)
Contact:
Oji Lang
Read more after the ad
Read more after the ad
Knochenhauerstrasse 25
30159 Hanover
Telephone: (0511) 64698475
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 12 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11.30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday from 11.30 a.m. to 10 p.m
Accessibility: no
Read more after the ad
Read more after the ad
Visited on: September 19 and November 17, 2022
By Hannes Finkbeiner