Star From the East

Yet another Monterey Park Cantonese seafood restaurant has opened on the Westside. Atlantic Boulevard’s popular Ocean Star has spawned Royal Star on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, a few blocks west of Bundy.

It’s a good-looking place, with banks of windows and two large dining rooms warmed up with wood paneling, rice paper lamps and bistro chairs. At the back is a private dining room set off by frosted glass panels.

The best strategy for ordering at Cantonese restaurants is, of course, to check the aquariums at the front stocked with live shrimp, prawns, crabs, lobsters, long-necked geoduck clams and various fish. Order one of the crab dishes, and the waiter will bring out a lively crustacean in a plastic bucket. Two and a half pounds? OK, this fella will do nicely.

It arrives some minutes later, chopped in pieces, a tad overcooked, but redolent of garlic, crushed black pepper, lemon grass and cilantro.

Squid in spicy salt are pale, only faintly crunchy. And a big flounder steamed in ginger and scallions and served in a delicate soy sauce broth is delicious. But a garlicky eggplant hot pot with ribbons of sweet peppers comes swimming in oil.

While this first meal didn’t match Ocean Star standards, it’s early on. Yet I can’t help wondering why other Westside Chinese restaurants aren’t nearly as good as their Eastside counterparts either.

BE THERE

Royal Star, 3001 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 828-8812. Open daily for lunch and dinner; dim sum is served every day until 3 p.m. Major credit cards accepted. Parking in lot (entrance on side street). Dishes $4.25 up to $35; most are in the $8 to $12 range. Lunch specials $5.50 to $6.50.