VBC Seafood Does Swimmingly With Sea Creatures

At VBC Seafood Restaurant Sunday night it was possible to sneak a peek at two wedding receptions, to watch a bride in a pink gown greet her guests and to listen to the congratulatory melody of the sound of chopsticks clanging on glassware. In Chinese restaurants, the hottest places are the most in demand for wedding parties.

VBC, open not quite a month, is hot. And huge--it takes up the entire third level of Chinatown’s BC Plaza, which is so new most of the retail spaces have yet to be filled.

Judging by early meals, VBC is going to be among the best of L.A.’s Hong Kong-style Chinese restaurants. Live fish and seafood are the things to get here--there’s even live shrimp (hard to find in most places), which is best simply boiled.

Part of the menu is written in Chinese, but the waiters will translate into English if you ask. Some of these specials include the tiniest fish, perfectly deep-fried; chicken stir-fried with young ginger, and black chicken soup, with a broth of intense, pure chicken flavor. VBC Seafood Restaurant, 711 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 680-0888. Entrees $5.50-$44.