Orient Express
1884 Fremont Blvd., Seaside
(831) 394-9494
The exterior of Orient Express isn’t photogenic. The pink corner restaurant is part of a strip mall that neighbors a busy gas station. But it’s not the aesthetics or architecture of the building that keep people coming back, raving and sharing the experience; it’s the food that comes out of the kitchen. Big, heavy, hot iron pots filled to the brim with bubbling soups; box lunches anchored by sweet or spicy meats but balanced with white rice, salad and fried tempura; glistening glass noodles chock full of bright vegetables; crispy and chewy savory oyster or kimchi pancakes; black sheets of seaweed wrapped firmly around rice and a rainbow of condiments. And that’s not even mentioning the seven to 10 little dishes of banchan accompaniment – marinated soy beans, radish kimchi, root vegetable, sweet black bean and others – that adds multitudes of dimension to the meal. The beauty of this place is where it belongs – in the food.