Brooklyn Heights, NY Restaurant Review: Sea Asian Restaurant

Commercial rental prices are rising in downtown Brooklyn, while revenues are falling. I have watched a number of fine businesses close shop over the past couple of years, including a few rather splendid restaurants, some near Henry Street, or Montague, and others on Smith. The signs on these spaces say they are relocating, but often they do not, unable to find a deal that will allow them to begin to recoup the missed earnings in the months they were out of business. So when Sea Asian Restaurant near the corner of Henry and Clark Streets had a "We Are Moving" notice on their door, I was very apprehensive...and just a skosh miffed as the restaurant required a solid fifteen to twenty minute walk from my office.

Luckily, they reopened several weeks later on Livingston Street, which, it turns out, is far closer to my office-and most forms of public transportation-than I could have hoped. Open seven days a week, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., the restaurant, now located at 125 Livingston between Boerum and Smith, serves generally excellent Chinese, Thai, and Japanese cuisine for very affordable prices. They have a very inexpensive, very filling lunch special that with tax and tip can be bought for ten dollars or less from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The dinner menu is worth looking at even for lunch as the prices are still reasonable and the selection is even better. If you are looking for a filling/late lunch or dinner, start off with the crispy Coconut Shrimp, the meaty Tako Su for squid lovers, or the light Gyoza. For entrees, try the Vietnamese Fried Rice filled with chinese sausage, egg, chicken, and shrimp - ask for it extra spicy. Or try the Chilean Seabass, a nice chunk of fish served with a lemony miso sauce, or the aromatic Double Cooked Chicken or Pork. The helpings are generous and the sushi is fresh, and of wide variety. Regarding the sushi, personally, I'd recommend the Tasty Spider Roll - soft shell crab tempura with avocado and cucumber, or the Volcano Roll - lobster covered with tuna and salmon. Have some fried ice cream to top it all off - vanilla, chocolate, or green tea. The beer is also inexpensive and they serve wine as well.

The new location is easily accessible by subway- short walks from either the Hoyt Street station (2 or 3 train), Borough Hall, (2, 3, 4, 5, N, R, or M), Jay Street-Borough Hall (A, C, or F), or Hoyt-Schermerhorn (A, C, or G) Lawrence Street - Metro Tech (N or R). If there is one drawback, however it is that the new location is a bit smaller and the layout is slightly stifling. There is also more foot traffic and so you may feel a bit rushed by the waitstaff when you come in for lunch. Also, I am unsure whether the cooking staff has changed, but there are some omissions on the menu, such as the jalapeno hamachi and the spicy martini, which were both in and of themselves reasons to go to Sea Asian.

But for excellent and inexpensive cuisine, Sea Asian Restaurant is well worth a trip-whether a twenty-minute walk or a subway ride, and if you cannot make it but live or work in the area, they do deliver. Also, they are offering a 20% off promotion for the first month of their reopening. Call them to see if it is still available: (718) 625-9893or (718) 625-7202.