Ocean Seafood Restaurant

We had a seafood feast two nights ago at Ocean SR, which is next to Promenade Hotel near KK's Waterfront. Ocean SR's prices are meant to rob from the tourists but sometimes locals like us willingly walk in to give our $ away and then complain about it after.

Many tables were occupied by eager Hong Kongers and I find that really odd because the live seafood in HK costs about the same but is definitely cooked better.


These slipper prawns are known as 'peeing prawns' in Chinese. I have no idea why. There are 3 types : the Moreton Bay bugs, which have hard shells like crabs and are the meatiest of the lot (love them), the striped ones that are long like caterpillars with a medium-hard shell and these ones with not much meat and soft shells. We ordered the caterpillars type (RM90/US$28 per kg) cooked salt and pepper-style. They were not worth it at all because not only was there very little meat, the chef didn't do a good job too.


This is new to me: stone fish. I'm told the flesh is tough and I'd be surprised if it isn't. What a loser when it comes to looks. I bet it has inner beauty.


This is pat chat loh. Too fancy to eat so I just couldn't order them.


Baby geoducks clams. I like these; nice chew. These should be called peeing clams because they, ah, never mind.

Tropical lobsters, RM250/US$77 per kg. At this price, I should spear these myself next time I go snorkeling.


The soon hock (RM100/US$30 per kg), a river fish that is another loser in the beauty department. In fact, this fish has python-like skin that put me off. I picked up a peanut-sized morsel just so I can tell you how it tastes. It was very fine but not sweet so I won't miss not eating this. If you want the best steamed fish in KK, Port View at the Waterfront is the best. I had a really fantastic steamed grouper at a recent company dinner there. I know one of the restaurant's captains and it is my quest this year to get her to tell me what soy sauce they use, because their sauce is unbeatable.(I had wanted to bring my camera but was shy about taking food pics at a table full of strangers. To my amusement, everytime a dish landed on the table (borrow your words, Greg), cameras were aimed at the dish like it was Angie and Brad.)


House tofu. Didn't eat it because it was all gone by the time I took the pics.


Grass prawns (RM60/US$18 per kg) are farmed prawns, so they aren't exactly healthy to eat. But these boiled grass prawns did taste fresh, sweet and springy.


Grass prawns cooked "dry butter style". The golden shreds are egg yolks deep fried in butter!


Local mud crabs (RM38/US$12 per kg) cooked in butter cream. Yum. My waist swelled by 4 cm because of the cream.



I think it's too expensive to eat at seafood restaurants meant for tourists. Everything is about 30 to 40% costlier than other non-tourists restaurants.