Pleasure Ocean Restaurant

*This review is for dimsum*
There are a lot better dimsum restaurants in the area in my opinion.
Food: We came with a big party and ordered most of the dishes on the dimsum menu. The portions are quite big here but the taste is just so-​so given the high price point. There were no stand out dishes here
Ambiance: Tacky, over the top décor… they use fake LV card holders for the love of God lol. It might be nice for a wedding banquet though, as it has many private rooms. You just have to be a fan of the multi-​colored lights. :)
Service: It wasn’t very busy when we were here so the service was ok.
Price: $$$ for dimsum

Brand new dim sum place in the area. Ambiance is nice. Order from the menu. Food quality, it’s not as good as elite. I’d rank it middle in the Heights. Nevertheless, parking is wonderful. Best item I had there was the taikon cake.

A huge restaurant for huge parties! I think every table was at least a sitting for six easily. While there were some tables that had only 2 people including my girlfriend and I, I felt like they could have made it possible for a small party to sit in a more intimate setting. That said, the staff there where plentiful and dishes were constantly coming out of the kitchen. Our food was served hot, as was our lemon with hot water, and our tea. The rice was well made and the food was delicious.

Beside their Cantonese BBQ dishes are legit, they have quite good dim sum as well. For me it’s all about taste and authenticity, doesn’t need to be dirt cheap to get a 5 star rating.

Update: someone who was clearly an owner/​investor sent me a bunch of insults related to this review. It’s not surprising (and very delightful to me) that they will clearly be out of business soon.
Nothing pleasurable about this ocean.
Peking duck arrives fairly quickly. For $ 38, it is about 8 pieces of duck, 8 pieces of skin, and… Pringles. No, I am not joking. Plain, straight up Pringles which are presumably only there to make the plate look more full. THIRTY. EIGHT, DOLLARS.
About 25 minutes later, our $ 17 pea shoots arrive. Which are just pea shoots. For $ 17.
Then 35 minutes later, the BBQ pork and shrimp fried rice arrives after 6 inquiries… with no BBQ pork. After my mom argues with the manager in Chinese, he’s visibly in the corner staring at the picture on the menu with a bunch of other staff about whether there should be pork in it. And we’re just sitting there starving because we’ve only had pea shoots and 8 pieces of duck. The waitress comes back and explains that the manager was confused because his Chinese and his English aren’t very good. I’m just going to leave that one right where it is.
They bring it back out with no BBQ pork about another 20 minutes later. They had minced up a bunch of lap xuong and hoped that we wouldn’t notice. For this, we were charged $ 18. As an apology, we were given… custard balls.
This was hands-​down one of the worst dining experiences of my life.

I can only begin to wonder what service would be like for dim sum. We came here as a party of 8 during a pretty slow dinner service and it was already pretty lackluster.
During the two hours we spent chowing down, we had our water and tea refilled an astounding zero times. They changed out our plates once though.
As for the food — there was really nothing good enough to write home about but the Peking duck was probably the most disappointing since the majority of the steamed buns arrived at the table rock hard. As for the prices… holy crap the food is expensive.
In any case, I heard they remodeled the interior and it does definitely look nicer than the other Chinese restaurants in the area.
So all in all — one star for the food, one for the interior and the fancy LED lighting (that you’re subsidizing by means of their overpriced food), and one star for the hilariously confusing name.
PS. Please soundproof the room up front. While some patrons are inebriated enough to think they’re bad ass at karaōke, please don’t make the rest of us suffer through it.

Never want to come here again.
It takes 40 mins for 7 dish of dim sum to serve to our table. So so so slow…
Food taste below average.
Service so horrible.
No wonder there’s no wait on weekend.

Food is a little above average, but the price is sky high. There is no value here.
I went to lunch with my mother. We had dim sum and lunch specials. We had shrimp dumplings, Chou Jou Dumplings, Carrot pudding, Shrimp chun fun, and baked bbq pork bun. The two dishes were sweet and sour ribs and garlic stir fried bean tender.
Their foods are good, but not good enough to justify their prices. You come to this place to pay for their décor and private rooms, which they have eleven.

Came to check out one of the newer dim sum places in Rowland heights in hopes of finding a new favorite but it did not happen :(
Came here at 12:30 on a Saturday and no wait, yay!
The service was pretty slow, had to ask several times for sauces, napkins, tea, etc considering it was not busy at all
Food-​some of my family’s favorites:
–peanut coconut fried dessert (?) not sure of name but it was bomb! I loved the sweetness, crunchiness, peanutty taste.
–spare ribs– juicy & savory, we killed the dish pretty quickly
–fries turnip cakes– they were perfectly crunchy & fried to perfection
Things I found just okay–
–shu mai– pretty good, large size, but similar to other dim sum places
–shrimp rice roll– also okay, similar to other places, nothing special
–Dan tat– came out hot which is always a plus
Things I did not like–
The piggy purple yam rolls– super cute, but also super bland
Also this place is super pricey for dimsum, came out to be $ 100 for 4 people, and yes two of them were big eaters but still, probably gonna stick to cheaper places for the same quality experience.

I had dinner here once and I would recommend folks to go someplace else. In a melting pot of Chinese restaurant, this upscale location serves «average» food. Like Four Seasons, I give this 2 years max — as the pallet of the community here changes rapidly. People are not looking for fancy ambience when it comes to Chinese food. It’s ok to make it high class but the first sign of downfall will be to visit restrooms.
So after giving it a mediocre rating for dinner, I tried my luck at Dimsum. Keep in mind there are four established place around the area. Like I mentioned Four Seasons tried to place their mark on high Dimsum place and it failed due to poor service and average tasting Dimsum. I am been sitting here for 5 minutes waving my order. We are seated by the aisle next to the plates and servers choose to ignore me. Reminds me of HK restaurants where they rank themselves and will not take your order because «that’s not my job.» I look around and at a time where this place should be packed on Sunday noon, I saw two tables where they have a party of two sitting on a table for 8 or 10. Make it look like the house is packed. This establishment has been open for a few months and I am seeing signs of downhill.
Now for the food (Dimsum). I like to compare the food to Hong Kong Palace, Seafood Village or Happy Harbor. The latter 2 has similar concept, order from a menu, instead of the traditional push cart. This is Chinese New Year weekend so I expected more specials. None. I measure a good sign of Dimsum by their Chicken Feet and Porridge. Their Chicken feet was dry — 2 of 5 star. It is supposed to fall off the bone and juicy. I ordered Pork and Century eggs porridge. With crispy wanton skin on top — the taste is average 3 star. Almond crusted shrimp ball — dry, 2 star. Sea cucumber with Napa — 4 star. Fried seafood roll in mayo — 4 star. Turnip cake in XO within wanton basket — 4 star.
We are still waiting on our Seafood Lo Mein and Sticky Rice. I should not blame the server staffs as we notice as we sat longer the service became better. All in all, the experience fro. The service is better than Four seasons, but if I am to compare the Dimsum — I would go to Hong Kong Palace or Seafood Village. This place does not stand out except for their fancy atmosphere. If you need to impress someone by their ambience — then this is the place. But if you want a good homey Dimsum — skip this and go to the other three I mentioned earlier.
Btw — our Seafood Lo Mein never came so I am cancelling it.

So I went to Pleasure Ocean recently with some family for a Chinese New Year dinner, had a decent time, and came back to write a review only to see it getting absolutely decimated on Unilocal.I read quite a few reviews, and… I can’t really argue with some that’s been said, but I do have a different point of view re: the service. Let’s unpack this:
The food is indeed pricey. Not «$$$$» pricey, as the page currently states — that’s obviously a bunch of angry customers rage-​clicking — but it is arguably overpriced. Personally, I didn’t think the food was bad. The honey walnut shrimp could’ve been crispier and less drenched in mayonnaise, the fried rice was a little flat and dry, but the French style filet mignon was a perfectly good version of the classic dish (not overly chewy or raw, like at a lot of places that seem unwilling to cut their pieces smaller and/​or cook them longer) and the meat on the steamed fish had just the right amount of bounce. I do have to join the ranks of people who experienced the menu being a «best case scenario»; the kitchen was out of at least four things we tried to order.
Here are my thoughts on the service. A bunch of the staff are from Shi Hai in Alhambra — including the manager (I think), at least one of the chefs, at least one of the hostesses and whoever else the manager brought over. The service at Shi Hai has always been very good in my personal experience, and was likewise good here when we were dealing with the guys we recognized. There were, however, a few hiccups, and not sure if those were due to new staff or not… I tried to wave someone down at one point because our food had basically stalled, and this guy made eye contact with me for a moment, and then just… turned away (!). Once I finally flagged someone down, the rest of our dishes came out quickly (almost TOO quickly… had they been just sitting there? I don’t know).
I don’t know if this further contributed to the bad service reviews at Pleasure Ocean, but I can also say that Shi Hai is not typically as crowded as this place seems to get. So maybe they’re not as dialed in yet for the amount of traffic they’re getting. Not a good excuse, but possibly an explanation. Also, just as a counterpoint to the food is pricey/​bad service reviews, I would argue that Shanghailander Palace (a stone’s throw away in the same plaza) is extremely pricey for what it is, and I definitely think the service there is worse.
Pleasure Ocean at least is new, is really nice inside (as many have pointed out), and I believe they have the pedigree and potential to do better than they probably have in their first few months. Will remain cautiously optimistic until my next visit.

Please save yourself and your wallet!!! If you still choose to eat here, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
We came here on a Sunday for lunch/​dim sum and the wait was about 15 minutes which wasn’t bad, but after getting seated, we saw how many empty tables there were so I think we could’ve got seated earlier. From the menu and the interior, this looked and felt like an upscale Chinese restaurant and we were ready to try something different than the other Chinese restaurants in the area. We ordered some dim sum stables and other items that were unique to this place. Everything was flavorLESS. Basically red vinegar and chili sauce made everything taste ok. Even my favorite dim sum dish, a fried savory pastry with meat inside, was screwed up. It was overly chewy and I couldn’t taste the meat. Again, it was flavorless. This place was really disappointing especially because you’d expect the food to taste at least decent since you’re paying 3 times more than other restaurants. Maybe the whole point of this place to make people feel bougie especially with their Louis Vuitton wannabe check holder. Check it out!

This is a DINNER review:
Upon entering the restaurant, it looks super duper fancy. It’s new and clean (even the restrooms!). It’s a good place to take a guest if you want to impress them with regular tasting food. It’s definitely about the ambiance.
A hot towel is given to you once you sit down and then you are asked what kind of tea you would like. Their menu is like a coffee table book filled with LOTS of pictures (some graphic for those not used to see a whole dead bird as a menu item). The food items were about $ 18 a plate so it is pricey but the food taste good so that should compensate for some. Rice is charged by the bowl (lame) and the dessert was this warm papaya soup — pretty good. The dishes I enjoyed the most were the short ribs and the clams. The wait service was a bit slow in the beginning… I couldn’t get anyone’s attention to take our order but after that, the food came out fast. The people who bring out the food wear a mouth guard so that their spit or breath doesn’t get on the food. That’s nice and hygienic. :)

3^rd Visit:
They changed chefs here and apparently took all the good stuff off their menus. Don’t come here. It’s not good. The food changed but the price didn’t change. Still expensive but food is terrible. Before the only thing saving them was the food… The service was and still is terrible, the price was and still is expensive, the food was good and now it’s not. This place will close soon.
1^st Visit:
We came here at 1030am to eat. No wait. Everyone is still sleeping.
We ordered 19 items.
They brought 17 because they couldn’t find the other 2.
We requested more mustard and chili and they brought one of each when we had a party of 7.
The service is just choppy. Not bad. Not great. Just typical dim sum service.
Prices… Expensive. Is it worth it? Some items are good. I think the quality is definitely better than most. The presentation was really pretty.
Would I go back? Yes I would. But just be patient as they get crowded and busy quick

I definitely agree with all the other reviews here. This place is mediocre at best. Especially with all the available dim sum places within the vicinity. Had pretty high expectations since I heard it was the same owners as Happy Harbor but unfortunately I was fairly disappointed.
Came here Friday afternoon and waited about 20 minutes for a table. The pig shaped foods were pretty cute but everything was average at best. Also, #32 the taro dumplings, are not the same as the picture, apparently every waiter knew but no one bothered to tell us when we ordered it. Dishes are pricey too.
Service was definitely below average. At happy Harbor and other places, they’re very quick at removing emtpy plates and dishes, tea refilll. Here though, took forever to get anyone’s attention, from getting tea refills, to asking for the bill, getting the chilli sauce mustard mix, etc.
Interior décor is nice however, I’ll give them a star for that.
If you want good dimsum, go to happy Harbor, want cheaper but still good, new capital, want cheapest, four seasons. Want fancy décor and dont mind paying extra? Then you can go here.

For an upscale Chinese restaurant, the food sure doesn’t taste so «upscale.» Came here with my mom and brother. The 3 of us ordered about 7 dishes. Nothing spectacular about the food. In fact, been to a good amount of dim sum restaurants and they all taste the same. This place is no different.
Service was really slow. One of our appetizers didn’t get served til the end of our meal. And their soup dumplings were so dry we didn’t even finish them.
I didn’t expect our meal to cost any more than 40 $ but when we got the bill it was $ 57. They also charged us for tea ($ 4.14) that we didn’t order! Bottom line, don’t come here. You’ll be over paying for poor service and bad food!

A new upscale looking Chinese /​Cantonese restaurant in this hood. I can see they try to make it fancy and all that. When most of the Chinese restaurants realize that fancy includes top notch service too, that will be the day for me to love Chinese food!
Went for dim sum, ordered chicken feet, spicy beef and some sort of animal organ, greens with tofu, lobster porridge, shrimp and chive dumplings and spicy clams soup. Everything was so delicious, not salty or greasy like usual dim sum dishes, the clam soup was particularly good, as well as shrimp dumplings.
Loved the food but the service was extremely slow and disorganized, I guess it was the end of their lunch hour, everybody was busy at something. Again they just don’t know what’s good service at most Chinese restaurants.
We will be back for dum sum or dinner, but we won’t be tipping good if the service is this bad again!

Came here on Christmas Day because everywhere was so packed and my favorite four season restaurant is closed for renovation. This place is new and it was packed. This place is kinda pricey comparing to those all dim sum in one price.
I found the dim sum was not really good and special for the price we paid. The portion for the dish was very small too. They didn’t even have high chairs for my kids. One dim sum was the rice noodle with diced meat and it was worse than the one sold in the super market…
This is only one time visit for me unless they will lower the price. I gave two stars because this place is new and has tons of rooms for improvement.

This place just opened last week. My parents had been here for dinner the other day and said it was good. My dad is extremely picky when it comes to food and especially seafood, so if he likes it, it generally means its pretty decent. My brother was visiting from DC and we decided to have dinner here tonight so the rest of us could try it. I was hesitant after seeing the 2 star rating on Unilocal… granted there were only 21 reviews so far. I decided to try it and judge for myself.
The location used to be some Japanese buffet. The whole restaurant was remodeled and it looked really clean and fancy with beautiful colors. It’s reminiscent of Sea Harbor in Rosemead or Happy Harbor in Rowland Heights… upscale Chinese restaurants, offering up various fresh live seafood. Like the other restaurants, this one also serves dim sum during the mornings till 3pm I relieve. You order off the menu instead of waiting for push carts… definitely a plus. Hate having to wait for a cart to roll past your table.
We ordered several different dishes, all of which tasted fresh and well cooked. The cold platter was refreshing with several different types of veggies and proteins. my favorite were the spicy cucumber and this other one that seemed to be a marinated radish. It was super cold and crisp.
There was a dish that looked like some kind of soy sauce chicken that was well seasoned and really tender. The sizzling Tofu plate was so simple, but tasty with this delicious savory sauce. The stand out dishes were of course the seafood. We had live lobster cooked with ginger and scallions, deep fried live crab with garlic and honey? (Bee fong tang style?) And Turbot cooked in chili oil. This looked like it would be super spicy with all those red chili floating on top, but you really don’t feel the numbness till later. The fish was so tender, yet still firm, really good.
My favorite was the crab. the fried garlic was crispy and fragrant which complimented the sweetness of the crab. Everything we had was well received by our whole table and service was excellent. Food came out at a steady pace and we were stuffed. The walnut soup with sesame mochi balls was the perfect way to end our meal. The lightly sweetened walnut soup was warm and soothing on a cold winter night.
If you’re looking for upscale Chinese or if you want fresh seafood, this is the place to go. This place is still new, so I’m sure they’re still getting all the kinks worked out with food and service, but I was really happy with our dinner experience tonight and can’t wait to come back next week to try their dim sum.

I came on a Sunday afternoon for dim sum and there was no wait… which is a RED FLAG to everyone from the SGV… BUT my aunt wanted to give this new place a chance, so I share this because I feel obligated to keep anyone from getting sick.
FOOD:
First off, what you see is NOT what you get. Use the pictures on the menu to order at your own risk. There IS a disclaimer on the back, but seriously, some things aren’t even close in presentation or the number of pieces you get. Food was mediocre at best. They forgot to bring one of our dishes and when we asked them about it, it took another 30 minutes for the dish to come out… and it was COLD and tasteless. This was also a dish that didn’t look anything like what they showed on the menu (see picture).
We ordered some dessert after our round of dim sum (I seriously don’t know why we didn’t stop while we were ahead…): egg tarts and pumpkin red bean mochi/​cake. Both were disappointingly undercooked to the point where the egg tart center was liquid and running (see picture) and the dough of the mochi/​cake was still raw.
SERVICE:
Disorganized. Dishes we ordered were forgotten and/​or not placed, our bill was lost at least 4 times, and someone brought us our bill before we were done ordering. The disorganization caused a bit of bickering between the workers in front of their customers, not quite professional, but also not entirely surprising at a dim sum place either. Perhaps if they trained their staff these minor mishaps could have been avoided. As I left, I noticed a few empty tables with a number of people waiting, which is probably due to poor training and lack of organization that contributes to the bottle neck and terrible service.
OVERALL:
They make a valiant effort to mimic upper end dim sum places without the quality or service to back up their prices. I mean seriously, they use knock off Louis Vuitton bill holders! NOT kidding. Please don’t support child labor in China, my friends. I’m never coming back, but feel free to try at your own risk.
P. S. There was also an ant running around our table which the waiter promptly squashed and smeared across the table cloth. Lovely. On the bright side, we all know that this could have been much, much worse.