IT'S not in the most salubrious
of settings, facing boarded-up
shops on Blackpool's Talbot
Road, but it's certainly a
diamond in the rough.
Ocean Palace has been there
for as long as I can remember,
surviving the sweeping changes
that have taken this part of town
from a bustling shopping street to
a haven of after-hours takeaways
and drinking dens stretching from
Dickson Road to the Promenade.
I'd never eaten there in all those
years, but was vaguely aware there
was a reputable Chinese restaurant
along that stretch of a road that
goes all the way to Layton; I could
picture its exterior, but had never
had occasion to go inside.
We parked on nearby Queen Street
and walked around the corner, (past
Cave's Corner that must also have
been there for decades), negotiating
through the night owls on their way
to other town centre venues on this
midweek night; we were a stone's
throw from scores of them and
another evening was just beginning.
Even at the Ocean Palace, several
tables were taken as diners took
advantage of the Monday to
Thursday three-course special at
£10.95. It was an excellent deal but,
not being a chicken and sweetcorn
soup fan, I perused the main menu
and we chose three starters spare
ribs in salt and chilli, sesame prawns
on toast and satay chicken skewers,
to share in the middle of the table.
There were three of us, I hasten
to add... and our choices were
perfectly divisible by three a
fortunate outcome as they all arrived
piping hot and delicious and
nobody was sitting back.
Service was swift and sensible.
Enough, but not too much. Having
something, I'm told, of an ice fetish,
I asked for a litre bottle of sparkling
water and a large glass full of ice.
That request, while always carefully
enunciated, usually results in small
glass, two cubes. Not here. They
earned extra points when I got a
second full glass when I added
another bottle to the order.
It's the small things that matter,
isn't it. Chicken skewers are pretty
universal but listening isn't and it
can mean such a lot when the whole
point of an evening out is to relax
and let others do the bidding.
Our mains arrived and the meat
dishes were by tradition kept warm
on a hotplate in the middle of the
table. My crispy shredded beef
was the best anywhere I'd ordered
it and I claimed the trophy for the
best choice. My friends went for the
scene stealing kung po chicken in
a crispy bird's nest (she always was
a bit of a theatrical) and the Ocean
Palace special chow mein which,
when it first arrived, had us thinking
for a second there had been some
confusion and it was for two.
Chicken, beef, pork and king
prawns all cooked to perfection
and served over a bed of crispy
noodles. Our separately served rice
and noodles just made us appear
way more delicate, but our portions
were equally ample and, again,
piping hot.
Special banquets start at £16.95 a
head, up to £23.95 to include the
crispy duck course and a vast array
of mains. There is also the usual
list of everything Chinese, with a
Cantonese twist, from chicken and
beef to seafood and sizzling plates.
I noted one commenter on the
internet made special mention of
how hot all the food was served;
essential, in my opinion, but a detail
that frequently is overlooked. And
another, that our servers saw us
right to the door to bid us a friendly
farewell and not before we were
ready to leave, either!
Our bill came to £79.95 of which
food was £54.20, the rest assorted
glasses of wine and bottled water.
I'm told the theatre crowd are
frequent visitors here, on stage as
well as off and I can see why. But
to survive this long while others
come and go takes more than a
few special guests in the season.
It takes a consistency of quality,
creating a solid, repeat year-round
clientele and it's all in sparkling
evidence here. read more
