RESTAURANT REVIEW:

When the weather gets a little cold, as it was this past weekend, my mind hungers for soup and I was figuring, or maybe hoping, this would be my last chance for it.

The weather can’t stay cold and dreary forever, can it? Well, I was hoping not, and as a celebration of the impending summer, I went to Oki Doki to get some ramen and say farewell to the clouds.

The light soy flavored soup is great for lunch, and it is one of three Asian influences the restaurant features. The other two are Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine.

I have had the ramen here before, and it has a great flavor. I ordered the ramen with special barbecue pork and loved how it mixed with the egg noodle.

That was what I had on my mind as I drove to the restaurant; but the closer I got, the more the weather improved, taking me out of my urge for hot soup.

Which is no problem here; the lunch menu is stacked with alternatives, and I thought Chinese food would be a perfect substitute.

The restaurant is small with a simple wood tables and chairs. There is a divide that runs through the middle of the room that I found a bit distracting, only because I was seated up against it. I usually prefer to let my eyes wander around a dining room and was unable to here. There is additional seating in the back of the restaurant, and I would probably sit there next visit.

My lunch began with summer rolls. I wanted to stick to my Chinese theme, but the egg rolls weren’t doing it for me.

The other two choices for appetizers at lunch are fried shrimp and fried calamari strips. I was trying to avoid deep-fried foods, and the summer rolls are a great alternative.

They are advertised as four pieces, but really it is two of them cut in half. They are rather big so it really isn’t too much false advertising. The bits of pork and shrimp are wrapped in rice paper, along with cucumbers. The peanut sauce was really good, it had a touch of hot spice that I really liked.

By this point my mood had shifted like the clouds, and I was going to go all Vietnamese for my lunch. I bypassed the Kung Pao chicken and shrimp and snow peas, and instead got barbecue shrimp vermicelli.

There are six pieces of slightly singed shrimp with thin noodles and bean sprouts, scallions, lettuce, shredded carrots and mint. There are also ground peanuts, but I would skip those next time I ordered this dish because they don’t really add anything.

I wanted to sample the pan fried noodles, so I got the seafood one. They can also be ordered with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or a combination of chicken, pork and shrimp.

The seafood contains shrimp, squid and imitation crab strips. They were all firm and the wide egg noodles were cooked al dente. The vegetables added, broccoli, carrot slices and Chinese cabbage, were all fresh and not overcooked.

What should be added is a little hot sauce, with the emphasis on a little. The fish sauce it is in is a touch sweet, and to balance that out I dropped in a few squirts of Sriracha sauce. This hot chili sauce is found in most Asian restaurants and is powerful stuff, though I must admit I am a bit of a baby with hot sauces.

The dinner menu is vastly different, but still has all three Asian influences. Sushi is served and the entrees are heavy on seafood dishes. The sautéed octopus with garlic stalk should not be missed.

The variety is the main draw here, and there is more than enough to satisfy any mood.

ADDRESS: 3033 South Bristol St., Costa Mesa

PHONE: (714) 540-2066

CUISINE: Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese

SPECIALTY DISH: fried rice, pan-fried noodles, pork dumplings

ALCOHOL SERVED: wine, sake and beer

DRESS: casual

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes, but no children’s menu

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

RATING: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.