Ocean Kai's sign says 'Chinese and American' and that's true. They've established their own sense of style, not forcing themselves to conform to either cultural stereotype.
It's worth a trip to enjoy the large central bar area. As with the handsome bar, the tile & marblework in the restrooms are new & beautiful.
Small dining areas on two sides of the bar have landscapes, divine sheepskin boots, and other lovely Asian artwork.
The entrees & side dishes are simply excellent.
A specialty, spicy calamari, was lighted breaded & set simply on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce. I've underestimated the refreshing elegance of simple cool lettuce until I played it back & forth with their squid entree. Fabulous.
The seafood basket had an excellent seafood sampler with vegetable pieces expertly selected & cut for thickness & length, bias-sliced, & lightly sauteed, creating just the right soft-vs-crunchy fresh taste. Again, fabulous.
Too often in `Chinese` restaurants, simple fried rice misses the mark, not balanced as to the lighter whiter rice sensation and the darker sauce & meats blend. Ocean Kai's pork fried rice is great & the small quantity is plenty. Ditto for their darker heartier Hot & Sour soup.
The service was very attentive; Chinese friendliness speaking perfect American English. Lovely environment included Chinese family enjoying dinner & games. I felt comfortable hooting it up to football events & dancing between tables. As the sign says, `Chinese & American.`
A few small suggestions.
Walking in, I loved the ambiance, but thought, `uh oh`, when served only two long cold rolls in a basket. These people could design their own elegantly simple pre-ordering munchies.
Their red tea is lovely. I would have liked a green tea option.
Finally, I like to have the little umbrella in my Mai Tai to play with along with the rest of my food. :-) In summary, Ocean Kai is a lovely place. I highly recommend it to fellow South Shore denizens and our guests.
Tom McMullen
