On Time Seafood Restaurant- Lafayette Rd.

To be honest, the spouse and I deliberately dismissed this place at first glance because it looks a little run-down in its strip mall surroundings, and come on, seafood from a place called "On Time"? But wow were we wrong! After a gushing review from a friend (not to mention superior cook/caterer/foodie) we changed our thinking and visited the very next day. From the second you enter the lavish dining room tactfully decorated with red curtains, white linen covered tables, hanging lanterns and Buddha statues and then spot the wall of tanks containing LIVE fish and shellfish, you know you've begun a superb Asian dining experience.  We've dined here twice and can only count the days until we grace them with our presence again.


Overview: Ok wow. Talk about sizzling and fresh family-style Asian food for a great price in a beautiful atmosphere.  


Location: Right next door to Saraga International Grocery on Lafayette Road west of downtown Indy. 3623 Commercial Drive, Indianapolis 46222 (317) 293-8888 ‎


We ordered a pot of green tea (served steaming hot with green-tea leaves still steeping)  while we perused the enormous multilingual menu. I made two quick decisions: 1) I would definitely order seafood- considering the view of it was lazily swimming 20 feet in front of me and 2) I would start with a soup as my first of the agreed upon two dishes each.  I soon after made two discoveries: 1) The vegetable options were too tempting so pass up and 2) Every dish is served family style (the prices were low enough for a healthy single portion per dish- thus the confusion.  But my friend's review about the affordability was suddenly justified)... About a half-gallon of Beef and Egg White Soup later (approx. $8) we realized we still had three dishes on the way and still only two people at our table. Ahh leftovers.  The soup was thick and creamy as egg-white soups tend to be (with a gravity-defying suspension of ingredients in the bowl) with ground beef and cilantro leaves. I ignored my instinct to add salt and enjoyed the simple flavors in perfect combination.


The spouse's choice of Beef Lomein as an "appetizer" appeared in a family-sized portion of long noodles in a light brown sauce with vegetables and strips of sautéed beef. He quickly decided this was the best lomein he'd ever had- and he's lived in San Fran and Chicago. No stale pre-mixed food here. The warm ingredients had obviously just left the skillet.  His second choice is a staple in his Chinese food diet: Chicken and Broccoli. Again, just-cooked meat and perfectly crisp vegetables made this a double-hitter in freshness. This dish was served with a traditional sticky brown sauce with hints of sesame, chicken stock, and soy. While the spouse tends to stick with the familiar items he knows he'll love, I like to try something new every time or at least definitive of the restaurant. I justified my veering away from the Seafood by ordering a vegetable dish I couldn't take my eyes off of: Buddha's Delight. It came with no description and I figured I may not be familiar with the ingredients even if the server listed them so I jumped in headfirst. A vegetable dish arrived to our table bursting with color and aroma.  I  saw shiitake and straw mushrooms, baby corn, snap peas, and unrecognizable veggie strips- some white and some black. After recalling other menu options and noting their chewy mushroom taste we deducted they must be some types of edible fungus. The sauce was lighter than those served with the meat dishes but still sticky and perfectly complimenting the blend of crisp lightly cooked vegetables. I loved every bite.


For our second visit we knew what to expect, so we started with a Sweet and Sour Seafood Soup with plans of taking some home, then ordered the Beef Lomein again and the Shrimp with Hot Chili Sauce for something new. The soup again had ingredients magically suspended in a brown egg white broth- this time with bits of fish, scallops, shrimp, and other unknown seafood. Salty and savory, this soup had much more character than the first. The Shrimp was an image of perfection-- a healthy portion of jumbo shrimp, dark red with chili sauce and served with (I think) strips of green onion stalks. The dish was definitely spicy (not helped by our sips of piping hot tea) but as long as we left the whole hot peppers on the plate and away from our lips it never bordered unbearable. Also, the spice alongside the spic-y gave the shrimp excellent salty flavor aside from the heat.


Also of note- a plate consisting of an entire fish, filet'd open and steaming passed our table and I'm pretty sure I had seen  it swimming only minutes earlier. This is seriously the place to go for authentic fresh Asian seafood dishes. Don't be afraid to try something new (the menu descriptions are very brief ) or of communication differences. The best ethnic food I've ever tasted has come from the hands of people with whom I could not speak. Pointing and smiling go a long way. Oh, and the biggest lesson we learned for the next time we visit On Time-- BRING FRIENDS.