Ocean View

A leisurely pleasure in Narragansett

by Bill Rodriguez

140 Point Judith Rd. (Route 108) Narragansett
783-9070
Open Wed-Mon, 3-9:30 p.m.
No credit cards
Sidewalk access

Chinese cuisine is like sex. Done by the book, it's a perfectly enjoyable experience, worthy of celebration in song and story. But done with finesse and imagination, you've really got something to get excited about. For many years, the Ocean View Chinese Restaurant has been my favorite source for a Hunan high or Szechwan satisfaction. As for their legendarily long waits on weekends, I'd like to think of them as titillating.

I'm not alone. For three summers back in the early '80s, the restaurant won friends and influenced culinary expectations in the basement of their namesake, a beach motel in nearby Matunuck. We thought the proprietors, after a sudden departure, were gone forever, back to their Ohio home base. But little more than a year later, in the fall, word got around that they were back for good. Johnnie and I didn't learn of this until late in the week -- they hadn't bothered to advertise their new and spacious digs -- so we got there by 5. By 6, there was a line out the door.

For years a pal and I had lunch there every week, but a couple of years ago we were jilted. Now just dinners are served. I keep telling myself that this is how chef Eugene Ma can better marshal whatever mystical Shao Lin energies, or Baptist hymns, he summons for his gourmet offerings. But I sure do miss that cheap kung pao chicken combo.

However, I could get a cup of the accompanying hot and sour soup ($1.50), with its three kinds of fungi and tangy flavor balance, when we went recently with a houseguest from New York. She's eaten her way through China on a couple of occasions in recent years, and we suspect that she sees us mainly because we're on her way to Ocean View. On this visit, she especially liked the vegetarian spring rolls ($1.40), before she and Johnnie also tore into the "vegetarian delight with Chinese linguini in chef's special green sauce" ($11). The sauce was a pesto of spinach, Oriental leek and just enough garlic for heft, and went especially well with the cauliflower in the medley. I dove most heartily into the double-cooked "pork" loin ($9.50), in a smoky bean sauce, the pressed tofu and unusually light seitan plenty hearty enough for this carnivore. Some of these items from the optional vegetarian menu are also on the regular one.

Johnnie likes the latter dish so much that she ordered it later that week, when we returned with other friends. Since we were told that the kitchen was already too busy to prepare the sizzling wo ba shrimp soup ($8 for four people), we had the steamed vegetarian dumplings ($8). The eight fat crescents filled much more interestingly than their pork colleagues, with minced mushroom adding oomph. No further adjustments were in store for our appetites. The Hunan-style sliced fish ($10) was in a slightly sweet and mysteriously spiced red sauce that was as wonderful on the rice as was the sauce of the lemon crispy shrimp ($9.75). The former is spicy, and although the menu didn't advise us as Mrs. Ma did, you should know not to order it mild if you want it hot. We were advised that the sesame chicken ($7) had dark meat only -- a good thing, since white meat would have been overpowered in the rich brown sauce.

The brown rice we requested was nutty and remarkable, containing purple and black grains as well. (Once a week, chef Eugene makes the marketing rounds of some 30 places in Boston, and six or so varieties of rice are the least of the finds for his Mandarin and Szechuan specialties.) Ocean View doesn't serve alcohol, but customers can bring their own beer or wine. The restaurant is also smoke-free for the first week of each month.

As for the time it takes once your order is in, that can be an issue, especially on weekends and if you don't order appetizers, which can be quickly prepared. Whenever somebody tells me about a good meal they had there, they usually remark on the wait. Chef Eugene and his wife and hostess, Wei-Li, have always had difficulty finding and training Chinese-speaking staff, which they prefer, and that translates to delays on both sides of the kitchen doors. The last time we came, only four other tables were occupied and we got our food in less than 45 minutes.

If you love Chinese food enough, though, you'll be patient. Like any lover, the Ocean View needs to get things done its own way. Just bring your knitting.