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I've come here many times, and I was surprised how many negative reviews this place has been getting. The food is great, staff very friendly, and atmosphere warm. The place is quite small, a little old, and sometimes the place is understaffed, but still a great place to spend a Saturday night out.
Visited on Christmas Day and the dining room was frigid. Tea served was room temperature. We ordered a bowl of tofu seaweed soup, lobster with ginger & green onions and beef with asparagus. The soup was fine, but the main dishes arrived lukewarm. The lobster was overwhelmed by green onions and lacked 'wok heat.' The beef was tough and far too dark to be pleasing (perhaps over-marinated with baking soda & soya sauce), and the asparagus was not fresh at all. Service was dreadful because the owner was running the dining room all by herself. Our bill came to nearly $60 - for three items!
I phoned in a take -out order to what has been one of my favourite Chinese establishments these last 20 years and couldn’t have been more dissatisfied and disappointed at the lack of caring. No apology or remedy was offered. I have seen this restaurant change hands over this 20 year period from one female owner to another and seen the service and quality of food decline greatly. Before its present owner took over, the restaurant was a bustling thriving business, now of recent it has shrink to being half filled with food offerings less than mediocre. As I made my request by phone the owner, Linda repeated it back to me; so I was certain that she got my order correct. Incidentally, I’ve placed many an order by phone and have been satisfied; however this time was different. Arriving home I opened my order to find that not only was the order wrong; but that the usual large portion I had become accustomed to was barely filling the container. The problem was that I ordered the “Fresh Jumbo Shrimps, Squid, Scallops and Seasonal Greens” and I received “Jumbo Shrimps with Chinese Greens” – my order was missing the squid and scallops. I made several attempts to reach the restaurant by phone to explain the situation and once I got through the owner, Linda explained that she couldn’t hear me properly and that she thought I said what I received in my order. She reiterated her response several times and that there would be no compensation for the mix-up. I find it difficult to digest that similar dishes one with 2 additional seafood items could cost the same price. This matter has left a bad taste in my mouth and I will not eat there or recommend it to anyone in future.
I arrived with two people at around 5 pm. The restaurant was empty except for a couple sitting in the corner. The server pointed us to a table and she promptly brought us tea and menus, although our chopsticks were so old that the finish had worn off them. One member of our party had some questions about the menu and kept looking at the server to have her answer his questions, but he ended up having to approach her. He wanted to know what was in the Fok Kien Fried Rice. She answered his question abruptly, walking away while talking. He asked if it was a house special and she shouted 'No!' Unfortunately, he had more questions and had to approach her twice more to ask about the Baby Bok Choy Special (I am sorry if I don't remember exactly what it was called) and the Boiled Beef in Spicy Sauce Special. To the first, she said 'it's a green' and walked away. To the second she said 'it's spicy' and questioned his wanting to order it. My boyfriend had ordered the Rice Noodle Singapore Style. She barked at him 'skinny or fat rice noodle?' He said skinny, and she said 'No. That's vermicelli. Do you know what that is?' and scratched out his order. I understand that we were not entirely familiar with the menu, or the different 'styles' of noodles, but I do not think that our ignorance was cause for such rude service. I feel that if she had been more approachable, he would have asked her for more information about the dish. We got our food promptly and for the most part it was okay, except the rice noodle dish was not at all what my boyfriend had expected. Myself and the other member of our party tried a bite of it, and it was awful. There was so much curry powder that it was clumped throughout the dish. My boyfriend ate some of our dishes instead of his own, but the server did not come to see how everything was, even after she saw that he was uncomfortable. His friend spoke up and said 'the noodle dish isn't what he expected' and she said 'that's Singapore style.' My boyfriend said 'I didn't know it was curry,' and she just stared blankly from across the room. He then said 'Just so you know, I'm not eating it.' She again said nothing. I am really disappointed with how she handled this situation. I have worked in several restaurants, and even the worst of them were centred on customer service. If the customer is not happy, then no one is. She spoke with who she called 'the boss' and then came over to tell us 'The boss said you're paying for it because that's what you ordered. We're not throwing it out.' He, not looking to put up a fight, just said 'Okay.' The manager left the restaurant without approaching us. We weren't even done eating when the server came back and said 'all done?' and took our plates. We went up to pay and the server got flustered when we asked for our bills to be divided. We left with no 'thank you' or 'sorry about that.' I trust that you will be able to resolve this situation with us. I do not feel as though we should have had to pay for the dish. She could have at least asked if there was something he would like to order to replace it. None of that happened. I emailed the restaurant the above passage, and they failed to respond.
Went for diner and was very happy with everything. The service was friendly and the food was terrific. Portions were very big and filling. One portion is big enough for three people. Will definately visit again.
The quantity of food per dish is large. The quality of the food is mediocre. The time to receive your food is fast. I ordered simple chicken fried rice. I could not determine if the protein was chicken, or fish... Maybe the oil used had absorbed a fish flavor from something else. The General Tao chicken was awful. The chicken was sliced like it has been run through a sandwich meat slicer. The breading seemed to contain the spices and chilies resulting in orange breaded chicken with little sauce. This place is not suitable quality for anyone who knows the quality of food in Montreal Chinese district. I relied on the overall rating for this place and I ended up being disappointed.
Give it a try! Ben Ben's has been around for a long time. It is a tiny little place that is worth the visit. Sizzling scallops, spicy beef, hot'n'sour soup, any of the noodle dishes and the shrimp dishes. The service is so great and deserves our recognition. I haven't been in a while and I'm thinking of making my way down next weekend!
I really loved the service I got at Ben-Ben. The server was very friendly and can't say anything but good things. I did not like the Hot&Sour soup at all. Szechuan Spicy Beef and Chicken with Mixed Vegetables was okay. Yang Chow fried rice was pretty good. That was the best part of the meal.
I have walked by this restaurant hundreds, perhaps thousands of times but, for whatever reason, last night was my first stop for what I thought would be a quick supper before an evening meeting. I was pretty hungry so I initially ordered BBQ Pork Lo Mein and Fried Noodles with Beef. The waitress was skeptical and told me that this would be quite a bit of food, even for me (6'2", 235 lbs). I debated and, in the end, decided she was right (due my time limitations). What was served was literally a mountain of food - noodles, vegetables, and meat. For the most part, the quality of the food was ok - vegetables were obviously very fresh and meat was relatively tasty. However, if there is one thing I cannot stand, it's when Chinese restaurants saturate (literally) their fried noodles in sauce. I much prefer having crunchy noodles with less sauce than oversaturated noodles, meat, and vegetables. This must be common to most chinese places and was no different here. Still, the food was fresh, very hot, and served very quickly. On my way out, I acknowledged and thanked the waitress once more for her suggestion of ordering less rather than more. She proceeded to engage me in an anecdote lasting five minutes in very good english, albeit broken. Still, she tried and was very forthcoming. Definitely looking forward to going back soon as I blaze trails on Somerset Street several times a week, if not for the largely untested food quality then definitely for the top-notch service, some of the best in Ottawa, in my opinion.
Have been enjoying this restaurant since almost the first day it opened. Have brought friends, family and clients to enjoy their great dishes and friendly staff. Highly recommend anyone in Ottawa or coming to Ottawa to give Ben Ben's a try. Just remember this, there is no chicken balls and garbage like that.
consistently the best hot & sour soup ever. The food is very good. Service is very good - only once was it a little shaky. It's not air conditioned, so you may find it a bit hot in the summer, but the food's well worth a little sweat!
I absolutely love this restaurant. They make by far the best Singapore rice noddle dish I've ever had. All their food is delicious and abundant. The prices are very good too.
Food is good, service is good, prices are good, decor is ok... we have been coming here for years at least once or twice a month...and i would highly recommend it.portions are generous. staff is friendly.What more could you want?
Excellent food and service. Too bad there's no home delivery.
The restaurant is average-sized but it sits comfortably. Dinner there was great. I usually take friends and family there when we want chinese food. I love spicy foods and Ben Ben has some of the most delicious dishes there that look very appetizing and taste great! You must try the General Tao's Chicken. They have the best in town!
Lunch is a good deal but dinner was a bit disappointing- I would go to other places in Chinatown for dinner,
Food was excellent authentic chinese. Several dishes of squid are available, not overbreaded. Staff was very friendly, nearly doting, although their english isn't perfect and have difficulty understanding orders. Delicious!
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