Hoorah! The Condor has risen from the ashes. After being closed since early this year (see review below), I can now confirm that the restaurant is most definitely back in business. New manager, same owner (apparently), same enormous range of delicious and authentic chinese dishes cooked with amazing speed and flair by the friendly staff. Collecting my celebratory re-opening takeaway, I waited for less than 10 minutes after having placed my order, drinking a bottle of delicious heated sake (kept warm in its own pot of hot water), observing the large party of oriental students finishing their meal in the restaurant behind me, studying the beautiful mural of a chinese marketplace on the wall and listening to chinese pop music. When I got my meal home, the sweet and sour pork with crispy noodles that I ordered unfortunately turned out to be noodle-less, but the single portion of egg fried rice was enough for at least two, so who's complaining. Initially disturbed by the visual similarity of my vegetarian mock duck to real duck, when I eventually decided to tuck in regardless I was relieved to find this was the real (fake) thing; the mock meats previously offered by the retaurant previously were occasionally bland and samey, but this was much more convincing (even down to the plucked-skin patina of the curd - freaky!!), and gorgeous.

Mock duck, sake (too much to drink in under 10 minutes!), sweet-and-sour pork dish and egg-fried rice came to a total of £15.50 - I'm not sure if this was absolutely correct, but whilst the takeaway menu is still in preparation, food ordered for takeout will just be charged at a lesser rate than eat-in - a little bit steep, but doubtless bumped up from eminently reasonable by inclusion of the sake. Anyhow, I'm not complaining, as I cannot be too enthusiastic about the cuisine at this excellent place, and shall be returning as a regular visitor. Check it out, or miss one of the best gastronomic experiences Oxford has to offer - chinese or otherwise.

Su Jordan, December 4th 2002

Mysteriously closed in February 2002, around the time of chinese New Year, the Oriental Condor was (? is? there is no note on the window, and no message on the telephone) the best chinese takeaway and restaurant that I have visited in Oxford. They even let me takeaway a bottle of sake on the assurance that I lived minutes away and would return with it the next day.... When I went back, I was too late (no connection there I hope?!).

Producing the widest range of mock meats that any thus-inclined vegetarian could desire (many of which turned out to bean curd, but were delicious and delicately flavoured nonetheless), and with noodles of thicknesses from thread to fat spaghetti-size, the Condor put me off for a couple of years by roasting whole chickens on spits in its sparse window. Finally venturing inside what I thought was just another kebab-shop-like takeaway establishment, I was struck by the beautiful mural of a busy chinese marketplace which covered the wall, and the huge expanse of minimalist, trendy-looking restaurant which I could see out the back beyond the service counter and bar. In addition, you can see all the kitchen, and all the cooking - the miraculous production-line nature of which rivals the Mongolian Wok for novelty value. A tap supplied a continuous flow of water to the huge Heath-Robinson-esque tank upon which all the gas rings sat, presumably to avoid hot-droppage incidents. A multitude of woks sizzled and spat; the chefs carried on their conversations in speedy chinese language. It felt like wandering into a pocket of chinatown.

The Condor was not only reasonably priced, but each meal came in its own little durable clear plastic box (several of which now populate my kitchen cupboard), it opened late and the staff were smiley and friendly. You could sit at the bar on a tall spindly stool and have some sake and excellent prawn crackers while you waited for your order. The food had none of the monosodium glutamate-soaked gelatinousness of your standard chinese takeaway. It is a great shame that it seems to have become another Marie Celeste of good Oxford restaurants, and I would be delighted to see it open its doors once more.

Su Jordan, 10.05.02