9:00am Monday 7th May 2007
By Hattie Miles
I LOVE crispy duck. To me it's a real treat. Its one of those dishes I want to dive into and devour and that's exactly what I did when I went, with my friend Heather, to Ocean City, a new Chinese restaurant in Christchurch Road, Bournemouth.
The quarter duck arrived, piping hot and on the bone. It was skillfully filleted and shredded by a smiling waiter. A bamboo steamer containing a little stack of six soft, wafer thin pancakes was placed on the table with a bowl of Hoisin sauce and a small plate of cucumber sticks and sliced spring onion.
This is a dish to eat with your fingers, thus a finger bowl was provided. The hands-on construction begins by spreading the sauce over each pancake, placing a wodge of crispy duck and a little cucumber and onion and then folding a neat parcel ready to eat.
This is a dish to share, and this particular serving was absolutely divine. We were both impressed. The crispy duck was really delicious, moist and with a good texture. It made an excellent start to our meal.
As we munched our way through the course, sipping glasses of wine, we chatted about visits to Hong Kong. Indeed we felt that it was almost possible that we had been transported there. We agreed that the style of Ocean City was reminiscent of the former British Colony, and the conversation brought back lots of happy memories of our respective holidays there over the past twenty five years.
For main course we chose Mongolian lamb, chicken with bamboo shoots and Chinese mushrooms and Lo-Han monk's vegetables. The Mongolian lamb was spicy and had a rich and dense taste. The simply stir-fried chicken dish had more delicate flavours and complemented it well.
The monk's vegetables dish was lovely - a mix of water chestnut, tofu, Chinese mushrooms, bean shoots and broccoli, cooked slightly al dente, which gave the meal good texture. We also had egg-fried rice which came in a generous portion, and went well with everything. Our meal was served in traditional style and we ate from simple bowls with chopsticks.
Though spacious, Ocean City has an intimate atmosphere. Tables range from those for two, to much larger round tables which could seat groups of up to about twelve.
It was good to see so many Chinese families eating there, a sure sign that this restaurant provides authentic Chinese food. There was a buzz of conversation, and everyone was obviously enjoying their evening.
The menu is comprehensive, and includes a number of set menu options which appeal to any budget and range from £12 to £40 per head.
There is also a daytime Dim Sum menu which I aim to try one day.
We had no room for desserts, so their mango pudding will have to wait for another time.
To finish the meal I had Chinese tea which was served from a traditional Chinese pot, and Heather had coffee which came in a small cup and was refilled several times by our waitress.
With excellent cooking and welcoming and efficient service, this is a restaurant well worth visiting. There is ample parking too.
Our meal, including three glasses of wine, came to £42.25.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thisisdorset.net