Delicacies a la Cart

It’s long been easy to get dim sum--Chinese snacks sold by the plate from carts that wheel from table to table--in Chinatown and Monterey Park. Now they’re becoming popular in the South Bay. The place to get them is Szechwan, a large establishment on a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway in Lomita that could be called the South Bay’s Chinese restaurant row.

Chef/owner Andy Kao came to the United States with practically nothing, but after years of working in Monterey Park restaurants, he opened Szechwan in 1980. The original 30 seats grew to 90 by ‘83, and 150 by ‘88, and today the place can seat 300 people. At this rate, in the year 2036 it will seat 300,000.

Manager Wallace Lee, dressed in a tuxedo, oversees the two large, attractive dining rooms featuring booth seating and a large tank full of exotic, colorful fish. There are several other fish tanks of more interest to diners. These are filled with live Maine lobsters, Santa Barbara spot prawns, Dungeness crab and a changing variety of fresh fish.

Shortly after you are seated at lunch, the dim sum procession begins. A waitress will stop her cart at your table to offer such delicacies as har gow (steamed shrimp-filled dumplings, four to an order) or small spare ribs in black bean sauce. Then another cart will come by offering siu mai (open-faced dumplings filled with minced pork and shrimp) and steamed lotus buns with a sweet bean paste filling. The carts keep coming, ultimately giving the diner a choice of 70 items ($1.95 to $3.95), including braised chicken feet.

In addition to the dim sum service, there’s a regular menu listing 251 selections. Pay particular attention to the first 17, chef Kao’s specialties. Among them are plump scallops, slightly crisp on the outside, very tender within, chili pepper heat contrasting with the sweetness of caramelized orange peel ($13.95). Farm-raised venison ($14.50) comes with a sizzling black pepper sauce, while a large platter of sweet lobster is accented with fresh ginger and scallions.

Szechwan is at 2107 Pacific Coast Highway, Lomita. (310) 534-2280. Open daily 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.