JEWEL OF THE LOTUS NEW CHINESE EATERY MIXES THE FAMILIAR WITH THE INNOVATIVE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

WITH ITS GREEN tile interior archway, large embossed lotus plant window, flagstone and matted wall effects, deep upholstered booths, pink linen and green carpeting, the new Lotus Inn Chinese restaurant in Woodland Hills announces its heavy investment for a long and possibly prosperous future.

To those who remember the building as Fontana di Trevi, apparently there's not a vestige of that Italian restaurant left except, possibly, the outside walls.

But its ghosts are working, I guess, because the new Chinese Lotus Inn sometimes has that very Italian dessert, tiramisu, available. It purchases its baked endings daily from Edie's, that great Canoga Park bakery.

Consequently, those customers who cannot finish dinner without a Western-style dessert, can choose from up to a dozen options off the tray at $4.50 each. The goodies include creme brulee, cafe mocha cake, strawberry shortcake and napoleon.

But before that, the fare is a mix of familiar and innovative Chinese, with such dishes as tea-smoked duck with spinach salad ($8.95, half-order $5.95) as a possible starter offering for the table.

Lotus Inn possesses a full bar for the martini or mai tai sets or post-meal cognac types.

The thoughtful menu here lists many half-order items for those with small appetites. There's a separate vegetarian section of the menu as well.

Sizable chicken dumplings, eight of them in a basket, can be requested steamed ($5.95) and though a trifle heavy in the dough department, they provide a satisfying starter.

Another beginning that I like even more is the kitchen's rendition of salt and pepper calamari ($5.95), the tender pieces of squid lightly battered and expressively seasoned.

Lotus has the usual array of familiar soups. For a diverse group of eating companions, the assorted sizzling rice soup ($5.95 or $8.95), with plenty of pork, chicken, shrimp and vegetables, provides another gratifying beginning.

Moving to main items, a well-described menu segment of 30 recommendations by the chef includes several interesting options.

For the diners who like to stay away from spicy stuff, shredded pork ($9.95) in a rich brown sauce comes with pancakes to wrap and enjoy.

There's an excellent hot pot of chicken flavored with basil ($9.95) that also has a flavorful brown sauce. Catch the entrancing aroma of this dish when the lid of the pot is lifted.

As for the heavy-duty pancake wrapping specialty, the Lotus kitchen will prepare a roasted whole Peking duck ($24.95) without any advance notice needed. The tasty duck meat and crisped skin is wrapped in hoisin sauce-daubed pancakes prepared tableside. They're ready to eat as delectable finger food.

But a whispered word to the host may also get you - as it did us one night - a serving of delicious duck soup from the bird's bones. Such a generous gesture is, again, a rarely seen, very positive mark for this new restaurant.

Two slightly spicy efforts, one called coconut shrimp ($13.95), the other Hunan fish steak ($11.95), provide unquestionably good seafood choices.

The shrimp, crunchy and tasty, arrive in a preparation that's green-toned from lime and jalapenos and that sports a slew of resounding flavors from its magical mix of garlic, ginger, coconut milk and onions.

A bonus on this dish is its pairing with wedges of Northern Chinese onion pancake.

The Hunan fish, a flaky and melty filet, turns out to be superbly cooked flounder in a brown bean sauce - but only mildly spicy. If you want it hotter, just tell your server and you'll get it that way.

Meanwhile, there's no need to worry about a bit of fiery food here, because you can always soothe your palate with one of those sweet European- style desserts.

LOTUS INN CHINA BISTRO

Food: Three and one half stars. Wine: Two stars. Service: Three and one half stars.

Where: 21733 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills.

Hours: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, for dinner from 3 to 10 p.m. nightly.

Recommended items: Sizzling assorted-ingredient rice soup (shrimp, pork and chicken), Peking duck soup, salt and pepper calamari, shredded pork in Peking sauce, coconut shrimp, Hunan fish steak, basil chicken hot pot, Peking duck.

How much: Starters from $4 to $9, entrees from $8 to $25, desserts $4.50 each. Full bar. Major credit cards.

Wine list: Although this is a comparatively limited list, it's certainly deeper than that of most Chinese restaurants. The single-page list offers 24 bottle possibilities, none vintage-dated, four being label-unmentioned house wines (chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, white zinfandel) at $13 each. These at $3.95 each plus three other wines at $5 each are available by the glass. There's also one sparkler at $4 per glass. Price range of labeled wines is $16 to $30. There are sakes, beers, plum and lotus wines as well. Corkage: $5.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

The slightly spicy coconut shrimp with wedges of Northern Chinese-style onion cake is one of the attractively presented dishes at the new Lotus Inn China Bistro in Woodland Hills.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer