Review on Straw Hat Oriental

Innovative Asian cuisine in a 500-year-old thatched cottage some 30 miles from London is the unusual deal at this Hertfordshire newcomer. Old beams sit comfortably with contemporary décor and oriental artefacts in the dining room, and there's an immaculate landscaped garden outside.

Chef and co-proprietor Ken Ho worked at the Ritz Carlton in Singapore and more recently at London's hot Chinese cookie Hakkasan before taking over the Straw Hat's kitchen. The menu is a world away from the chop suey/crispy duck syndrome of most provincial Chinese restaurants; instead, it promises tea-smoked spare ribs, soft-shell crab with red chillies and curry leaves, fried lobster balls with garlic shoots, chicken claypot with sweet basil, chilli and spring onions, or stir-fried asparagus with fresh lily bulbs and lotus roots.

Ken Ho also strikes out across many Far Eastern borders, plundering Thailand for tom yum soup, Japan for deep-fried sea bass and fried udon noodles, and Malaysia for curries; you can even excite your taste buds with sushi and sashimi, courtesy of an expert Japanese chef.

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Cuisine

Asian

Chef

Ken Ho

Restaurant Opening Times

Lunch: 12.00 - 3.00pm (all day Sun)
Dinner: 6.00 - 11.00pm (10.00pm Sun)

Accepted credit cards

Visa, Master Card, American Express

Online Booking Availability for Straw Hat Oriental

Facilities at Straw Hat Oriental

  • Private parties
  • Family Friendly

Address

Straw Hat Oriental
London Road
Sawbridgeworth
Hertfordshire
CM21 0AJ

Customer Ratings on Straw Hat Oriental

4.6  / 5

Based on 2 reviews

Guest reviews are written by our customers.

Food
10   
Service
9   
Ambience
10   
Location
7   
Value for money
10   

Customer reviews

  • avatar
    Richard Brown
    April 2017

    11 people found this review helpful
    A must

    This restaurant is fabulous the food is exquisite the staff are very welcoming and the boss mans lovely, never have we been disappointed. Rich and Deb

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  • avatar
    Natalie31
    September 2013

    32 people found this review helpful
    Straw hat

    We have been to the straw hat on numerous occasions and every time we have been the service and food has been spot on and couldn't fault it..... its very cosy in there and the staff are very on the ball....... this makes us return here quite a bit and we tell everyone about it and recommend it to all our friends.

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Straw Hat Oriental Sample Menu

Appetisers
Peking Duck with Caviar (advance booking please) £68.00

Pan-Fried Kobe Tenderloin Steak (150g) £40.00

Phoenix Lobster Rolls £38.00

Baked King Prawn with Red Chilli and Curry Leaf £12.00

Vegetarian Platter(v) £10.00

Crispy Fragrant Duck qtr £10.00 half £19.00
Soft Shell Crab with Red Chilli and Curry Leaf £10.00

Mango and Duck Slices £10.00
Tea Smoked Spare Ribs £8.00

Mango Prawn Roll £8.00

Steamed King Prawn with Garlic and Vermicelli £8.00
Squid with Salt and Pepper £6.00
Vegetarian Spring Roll(v) £6.00
Tianjian Chicken with Bean Paste £6.00
Steamed Fresh Scottish Diver Scallops £4.00

Seafood Dishes
Fried Lobster Balls in Chilli Sauce £35.00
Fried Lobster Balls with Mushrooms in Black Bean Sauce £28.00
Fried Lobster Balls with Garlic Shoot in XO Sauce £28.00
Steamed Whole Sea Bass with Ginger and Spring Onion £28.00
Japanese Style Deep Fried Sea Bass £28.00
Grilled Cod with XO Sauce £28.00

Fried Dover Sole with Pandan Leaf, Red Chilli & Garlic £28.00
Stir Fried Scallops with Fresh Lilies £15.00
Pan Fried Stuffed Scallops with Prawn Paste £15.00
King Scallop in Yakiniku Sauce £15.00
Mixed Seafood with 'Sha Cha' Sauce in a Hot Pot £15.00
King Prawn in Supreme Soya Sauce £12.00
King Prawn with Fresh Lilies in Curry Sauce £12.00
Kung Po King Prawn Szechuan Style £8.00
King Prawn in Black Bean Sauce £8.00
Assam King Prawns (Malaysian Style) £8.00
Meat Dishes
Diced Veal in Black Pepper and Red Wine Sauce £15.00
Lamb Chop in Chinese Style £15.00

Diced Veal in Supreme Soy Sauce £12.00
Fillet Steak in 'Sha Cha' Sauce £12.00
Satay Fillet Steak on Skewers £12.00
Mongolian Style Sliced Venison £12.00
Sliced Venison with Special Sauce £12.00
Crispy Shredded Beef with Chilli £8.00
Special Mixed Meat Hot Pot £8.00
Barbecued Roast Pork (Cantonese Style) £6.50
Sweet &Sour Pork with Strawberries £6.50
Meat Dishes
Diced Veal in Black Pepper and Red Wine Sauce £15.00
Lamb Chop in Chinese Style £15.00

Rice and Noodles

Fried Udon with Shredded Duck in XO Sauce £10.00
Fried Udon with Mixed Seafood in Black Pepper Sauce £10.00
Fried Noodles with Mixed Seafood £10.00
Fried Ho Fun with Mixed Seafood in Black Bean Sauce £10.00
Fried Noodles with Mixed Vegetables(v) £8.00
Fried Ho Fun with Beef and Beansprouts £8.00
Singapore Style Fried Rice Noodles £6.00
Fried Noodles with Beansprouts and Soy Sauce(v) £4.00
Fried Rice with Minced Ginger and Chicken £5.00
Fried Rice with Chicken in Coconut Flavour £5.00
Special Young Chow Fried Rice £5.00
Egg Fried Rice £3.50
Steamed Fragrant Rice(v) £3.00

Naigiri Sushi
Eel, Salmon, Tuna, Sea Bass, Kani, Tamago
Roll Sushi (Maki)
Spicy Tuna, Prawn Tempura, Futo Maki, Salmon Skin, Avocado
Hand Roll (Te-Maki)
Scallop, Shrimp & Tobiko, Avocado & Egg, Tuna, California, Spicy Salmon
Sashimi (8 pieces)
Amaebi, Tuna and Salmon, Sea Bass,, Squid, Octopus
Sashimi Set
Sushi Matsu, Sushi Moriawase, Sushi Take

Restaurant menus often vary from day to day, so the above should be treated as examples of what to expect in terms of cuisine and price.

Straw Hat Oriental Christmas Menu

Restaurant menus often vary from day to day, so the above should be treated as examples of what to expect in terms of cuisine and price.

Images of Straw Hat Oriental

Virtual Tour of Straw Hat Oriental