When living in the city and ordering food delivery there is only one American classic that pops up in my mind, Chinese! Who can resist the urge for Chinese food classics like Combination Fried Rice, Hot and Sour soup, Pot Stickers, and Spring Rolls?! Many of us have some form of romantic intimate memory involving these classic home delivered dishes, so what better choice with the approach of one of the most romantic days of the year? This Valentine’s day, Seres Restaurant offers your favorite classic Chinese dishes made with organic, naturally grown ingredients delivered to you and your “Honey Bear” in the most sustainable fashion possible, using Portland Pedal Power.
Seres Restaurant offers many traditional long-loved Chinese foods like Fried Rice, Potstickers and Kung Pao dishes, however with a lightness and purity that is not only delicious but important. Seres Restaurant offers Gluten free options as well. With values in sustainability, Seres participates in the city composting program and sources the ingredients that the restaurant uses. From organic produce to using sustainably caught seafood and certified natural Harris Beef, it’s even easier to indulge in some of life’s guilty pleasures.
Seres is currently celebrating the beginning of its 10th year of business this February which makes it a very special year indeed. Being the big fans of Chinese food that we are and this being such a big year for the restaurant, we sat down with manager Jaimie Fallon for a quick chat about Seres.
PPP: Personally what is your favorite dish? What would you recommend to anyone who came in?
Jaimie: My personal favorite is Sesame Beef. It’s super good! It’s sort of sweet, it’s a little spicy over crispy noodles. It’s one of our famous dishes, people come in for the Sesame Beef alone.
PPP: That sounds delicious!
Jaimie: Oh ya! It is!
PPP: So what sets Seres apart from other Chinese food restaurants?
Jaimie: Well we source all of our ingredients and it’s all sustainable. We use organic vegetables and we’re getting organic brown rice. Aside from the food we give a lot of donations to the community and are really community driven. The owner also does a lot locally as well as our composting program.
PPP: What inspired the owner’s commitment to sustainability and what does it mean to Seres Restaurant personally?
Jaimie: Well I know the owner likes to have meaning in everything she does and she truly believe in sustainability in her own life and she wanted to bring that to Portland and bring that alive.
PPP: So what’s new for 2012?
Jaimie: We have a new chef that just started. We’re going to be introducing some of his own creation and flare to the menu. He’s worked in different places around the world so it’s going to be some different and new menu items. Last year we also introduced our hot pot menu and still have that going strong as well!
PPP: So what’s something about Seres that you can’t find out by reading about the restaurant? A less well-known fact.
Jaimie: Oh gosh, I’m not really sure…
PPP: Do you guys maybe do karaoke as a staff once a month or something like that? If you do karaoke we’re down for some singing!
Jaimie: No… no karaoke. What comes to mind is our staff. You could say we are actually a family! There are cousins, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, mothers, and sons who all work here together. The servers have been with the owner since she opened, and hosts/hostesses always come back to work here (after having left for school or other obligations).
PPP: That is awesome! Thank you very much Jaimie for taking the time to sit down with us. By the way, if you all do decide to do a karaoke night, call us! We’re in!
This Valentine’s Day try something different. Share a bottle of champagne or sake and order take-out from Seres. Featuring a special Valentine’s Day menu through to February 25th.
This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in town! It is great to hear that they are so commited sustainable purchasing practices that makes me love them even more.