We hadn't been living in Dartmouth long, before it became readily apparent that we had to try out…read morenewly-established North End fixture, Ori Foods. Note that anything that has opened since I left Halifax in 2017 is "new" to me.
We weren't here for a full meal, just to re-up on caffeine and sample their sweet and savoury pastries. Their creative selection of both didn't make choosing easy, but we ended up going for the sausage roll, BBQ pork bun, and an apple custard Danish.
My wife has a big weak spot for sausage rolls, and Ori's rendition of this British classic was spot-on, with a juicy, savoury sausage wrapped in flaky pastry that got a dab of black and white sesame seeds for extra flavour and crunch, and just looks cool too.
While I'm more used to steamed char siu bao, the baked version are definitely a thing. This BBQ pork bun wasn't necessarily going for that, and it was still a well-executed bun with a generous filling of pulled pork that was hitting the right flavour notes, although it could have used some more of that saucy goodness that fills a top tier char siu bao.
For the sweet portion of our snack, the apple custard Danish was spectacularly well-done, with wonderfully flaky layers, crisp edges and a smooth and fruity filling.
A second visit had us coming on a sunny, autumn Friday for lunch, looking to try out their hot food.
The menu is compact and creative, with a few sandwiches and handful of other dishes - a soup, salad, and a few entrees. My wife was quickly ensnared by the allure of the chanterelle toast, adding on the miso pumpkin soup, while I went with the lamb.
Luckily it was a sunny day, so we could sit out on the patio instead of fighting for some of the very limited seating inside.
My lamb turned out to be the perfect cold weather dish, with a deboned cut of collar meat that was smoked and slow cooked to absolute perfection. The lamb was bursting with smoky flavour, and was unctuous and tender in a way that reminded me of ox tail, but without all the little bones.
Paired up with some chonky Borlotti beans, it had a very continental European stew kind of feel. Some somewhat large leaves of seasonal mixed greens felt a bit out of place on top of the rest of the dish, but some colour, crunch and vegetable content was for the best.
Mushroom toast has become a hit of a "thing" in nicer restaurants in the past several years, but when they're as good as Ori's, it's easy to look past the ubiquity and appreciate the dish as it is.
The chanterelles were toothsome but tender, in a decadent Madeira cream sauce on a thick slice of toast. It was nice to see that Ori had a GF option for the toast, and even more impressive was how well it held up to the saucy mess.
The miso pumpkin soup kept the good fall vibes rolling, as the perfectly blended soup got a hint of Asian-ness from the umami-packed miso. A sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and green onions, as well as a dash of cream brought a little more flavour and texture, not to mention visual flair to the otherwise blank canvas of the homogenous soup.
To finish off our meal, we had a pecan and dulce de leche Danish. Ori's baked goods continue to offer a choice paralysis-inducing amount of delicious options, and this Danish was as spot-on as my last. The layer of pastry were so flaky, especially the corners, while the pecans added nutty crunch to the creamy base that they were in, with pops of caramel goodness from the drops of dulce de leche.
Ori is truly a gem of North End Dartmouth, from their baked goods to hot foods, and is a destination-worthy trip wherever you may be in the city.
