Sea Garden Cuisine Is Tasty Transplant

----------------------------------------------------------------- Restaurant review

Sea Garden of Bellevue, 200 106th Ave. N.E., 450-8833. Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner: Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 3-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 3-11 p.m. Full bar. Bankcards accepted. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Chinatown got a little closer to the Eastside with the opening of Sea Garden in downtown Bellevue. The Cantonese seafood house, a fixture in Seattle's International District for nearly 14 years, now offers its renowned fare just a short drive from Bellevue Square. Located on the corner of 106th Avenue Northeast and Second Street, Sea Garden represents the first Chinatown eatery to cross the lake, according to co-owner Teresa Ho.

The Eastside outlet, which opened in June, surpasses its Seventh Avenue Seattle sister in size and design. Built from the ground up, the restaurant was created with large groups in mind. This becomes evident as soon as you step into the enormous dining room and find yourself surrounded by a sea of round tables that seat 14. Not to mention the sliding partitions that can divide the room into cozy niches suitable for wedding receptions, banquets or business lunches.

The subdued lighting, mauve high-back chairs and linen table-coverings cast a stylish backdrop for such occasions.

At a recent lunch, however, there were no crowds or parties. Not enough traffic to keep the polite waitstaff fully occupied. The clean-cut attendants hung around the crab and lobster tanks eagerly watching for the afternoon rush.

My companion and I were promptly seated at an oversized table for four, one of the smallest in the house.

The lunch bill of fare, not available at the Seattle location, is an abbreviated version of the extensive dinner menu, which offers more than 55 entrees involving lobster, crab, prawns, squid and other saltwater loving creatures. Nevertheless, midday diners are faced with a sizable set of choices. The appetizer list features over a dozen dishes, including deep-fried chicken wings, barbecue ribs, soy sauce chicken, deep-fried squid, deep-fried prawns, roast pork, jellyfish and roast duck (each $4.75); spring rolls ($4.50) and a combination platter ($12).

We opted for the prawns. Our server, whose name was silk-screened above his pocket, delivered a platter of six crunchy, plump shrimp atop a bed of shredded cabbage. The crustaceans were accompanied by two red-dipping sauces, one sweet, the other spicy.

"Marty" also brought the soup du jour, which he described as "chicken with corn." The broth was excellent although it tasted suspiciously like pork.

For the main event we ordered scallops in Szechwan sauce ($8.95) and braised cod fillet with pork and tofu ($7.25).

The scallop dish was, naturally, quite spicy, with about 16 tender scallops stir-fried with crispy onions. I was so glad my dining partner had agreed to eat the Chinese way - communally. With great relief, I dipped my chopsticks into his plate of lightly battered, sauteed chunks of cod that came with puffs of fried tofu and bits of lean pork in a light ginger sauce. The creation was particularly mild and soothing to my scorched palate.

Co-owner Ho pointed out that there's more to Sea Garden than seafood. There's chicken, beef, veggies, tofu, noodle soups and fried rice.

The won ton soup ($3.75), which we tried on another visit, is excellent. Skinny yet firm egg noodles and tasty plump won tons that didn't fall apart in my chopsticks came in a light broth. At my request, the chef also tossed in some baby bok choy. About 18 other varieties await noodle soup fans, including beef brisket noodle ($4.25) and barbecued pork won ton noodle ($5.30).

I found my companion's yang chow fried rice ($6) irresistible, with little bits of sweet barbecued pork, egg and peas. There's also shrimp-fried rice, chicken-fried rice and beef-fried rice (each $6).

There's a substantial take-out menu from which you can order whole roasted pigs, chickens, Peking duck, barbecue pork ribs and more.