After having heard through the grapevine that China Ocean was "THE BEST!!!", I understandably had to stop in and try it for myself. If you've ever walked by this dingy Chinese restaurant and have either not noticed it at all or immediately dismissed it, you'd be forgiven as I have done the same myself. The yellow and red awning is oddly both loud and dull at the same time. The storefront windows are filled with sun-faded handwritten menus and bad photographs of house special dishes. You know what I mean: Pretty much all of the usual signs of a typical grungy Chinese restaurant can be expected here.
It was on a quiet weekday during the late lunch hour that I finally visited China Ocean. Upon entering, a very friendly Chinese lady ducked her head out from behind a TV set over the counter to greet me. While the completely empty dining room was a bit of a concern at first, the non-stop ringing of the phone for take out and delivery orders as well as the eventual influx of hungry regulars was very reassuring.
Off of the $5.50-$6.50 lunch specials menu, I chose the black pepper beef on rice. The dish arrived piping hot surprisingly quickly. This fact also made me less doubtful of their promise to have most phoned-in orders ready in 10-15 minutes. As expected, the portion size was very large for me (although probably merely sufficient for a bigger eater). The flavour was surprisingly close to what I would deem authentic (v.s. Canadianized) although I found the beef a bit too tenderized.
This wouldn't stand out in Chinatown, but in a part of town where cheap eats are a dime a dozen and the options for ethnic cuisines are so plentiful, China Ocean represents!