The San Gabriel Valley has a huge and growing population of Chinese-Americans, many first generation and recent immigrants included. One result of this is that it has become a haven for outstanding, authentic, inexpensive Chinese food. Monterey Park is at the center of this foodie's delight, and Ocean Star is one of the busiest, best-known of the large, Hong Kong banquet hall restaurants. Through lunchtime, it's a dim sum palace--serving a seemingly infinite number of different types of dumplings and other treats. I could not keep track of all the sublime food being served so I just gave up and enjoyed the ride. Most of the clientele are local residents, as are the staff who do not speak much English. It was easier to just try a dish than get an explanation of what it was, which was okay since it was all delicious. For dinner the place is a seafood lovers paradise with lobster, crab and shrimp dishes abounding, and even more exotic fare like conch soup. There are a large number of excellent restaurants in the Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel area, and Ocean Star is one of the best. For dim sum, if you arrive after noon, you may wait for up to an hour. Better to get there before 11:30am.
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