HONG KONG MEETS RESEDA AT CAFE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

If the Kiwanis hold their weekly lunch meeting at a restaurant, does it mean that it's good?

Not necessarily.

But, in the case of the new Oak Cafe in the heart of downtown Reseda, it happens to be true.

Oak Cafe is a Chinese restaurant, as were its predecessors in the same place, Hunan House and T'Ang Hall.

Owners Candy and Alex Chan please the Kiwanis and the few folk who've stumbled in to date. It has a menu unlike any other San Fernando Valley Chinese restaurant of note.

Husband and wife Candy and Alex Chan and business partner Ivan Lee please the Kiwanis and the few folk who've stumbled in to date. It has a menu unlike any other San Fernando Valley Chinese restaurant of note.

That's because chef Alex Chan cooked at the Excelsior Hotel in Hong Kong, a job that evidently required familiarity with Western cuisines.

Here in Reseda, he has a spacious kitchen and a clean, newly decorated dining room where, if you order his pork chop with black pepper sauce ($6.95) you'll receive a very American-looking dish of the tasty chops floating in a rich, slightly peppery sauce with roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli as accompaniments.

``Would you like rice or spaghetti with it?'' I was asked.

Frankly, I couldn't resist ordering spaghetti with a light tomato sauce in a Chinese restaurant. And quite a respectable version it turns out to be.

Also, don't be surprised if you receive a plate of nicely executed garlic bread if you decide to try the tasty French onion soup ($3.95) here.

Chef Chan's Euro-American triumphs include a fine plate of baked New Zealand green mussels ($6.25) topped with a garlicky bread crumb mixture and baked lobster soup covered with puff pastry ($6.55), a rich, creamy liquid that I thought could use a few more lobster pieces in it, but comes off as unquestionably delicious anyway.

From the more traditional Chinese side, Chan fashions sensational crystal shrimp ``har gor'' ($2.55) from his dim sum category. Silky and crunchy textures combine with subtle flavors to make this a definite appetizer highlight.

Potstickers ($2.25), steamed pork buns ($2.25 each) and shiu mai dumplings ($2.25) are other dim sum tidbits that impress. They receive the nod over odd-tasting, but meaty little spareribs with black bean sauce ($2.25).

Loads of noodle and rice possibilities here. My vote goes to Chan's excellent Singapore-style chow mi fun ($5.25) rendition. A request for them brings forth a heap of those very thin, angel hair-type rice noodles tossed with diced chicken, pork and shrimp, also bean sprouts and green onion.

This results in a noodle bowl that will go well with just about anything else ordered.

The Oak chef's amazing range of versatility extends to a variety of curry styles, one of the most rewarding being his take on India's famed Madras chicken curry ($6.25). And he'll make it as spicy hot as you want just like they do in Indian restaurants.

Tender, moist chicken pieces in this and his full-flavored, yellow-toned Portuguese chicken creation ($6.95) join with small wedges of skin-on potato and snips of white onion for extra taste dimension.

And colorfully dotting this yellow-sauced dish comes a scattering of sweet, bright red pepper.

Of course, not every one of the Oak Cafe dishes approaches perfection. So best avoid one of them - the squid with black bean sauce ($7.55).

Nothing wrong with the saucing, however the squid rings' hard rubberiness leaves them virtually inedible.

With barely a fault elsewhere, Chan leaves diners with the impression he can cook anything and everything pretty well. And we're speaking of running the gamut from kung pao chicken ($6.75) with steamed rice to a T-bone steak ($9.25) with a choice of wild mushrooms, black pepper sauce, rosemary and garlic or a red wine mushroom sauce. Add an order of fries ($2) and/or onion rings ($2.50) to the latter and you realize that the stoves of Oak Cafe have no boundaries.

Indeed, Chan's Hong Kong experience even brings such beverages as Horlicks, Ovaltine and English-style tea to its tables.

With 224 items on the bill of fare, it might take a year or two of regular visits to try everything here.

By that time, though, chef Chan's global approach to cooking might be ready to incorporate a few locally inspired south-of-the-border influences.

Guess those Kiwanis evidently know a good thing when they see it.

The restaurant: Oak Cafe.

Where: 18446 Sherman Way, Reseda.

When: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, for dinner from 5 p.m. to midnight weeknights, from 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday.

Recommended items: French onion soup, baked lobster soup, crystal shrimp, baked mussels, barbecue pork buns, grilled pork chops, chicken Madras, Portuguese chicken, Singapore-style chow mi fun.

How much: All items under $10 except New Zealand lamb chops ($12.75). No alcohol. MC, DC, V.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three and one half stars for food; three stars for service; three and one half stars for value.

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Photo

PHOTO Candy Chan, left, Ivan Lee and Alex Chan have created a sizable and diverse menu of Chinese and Western dishes for their Oak Cafe.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer