It’s hard to go wrong with the food at Peking Chef. Pretty much any restaurant we’ve ever been to, there was at least one person was unhappy with at least one dish. But there’s never been a complaint. Once. (At least not that they would dare tell me.) It could be that Peking Chef is the only Chinese restaurant to rinse food in a hot water bath after frying to clean the non saturated oils, giving you a less shameful, healthier Chinese meal. It could be the courteous Mr. Eric Lee who stops by to check in on your meal. Whatever the reason, it’s take out that will fake out your senses. The General Tso that makes you say ‘Oh Wow.’
You can be as indecisive as you want and order the chicken with three flavors, (General Tso’s, Sweet & Sour and Chicken with broccoli), or just happy with the bright green vegetarian dumplings!
Curry with Shrimp – WhiskeyBeard:
When thinking curry in a Chinese restaurant, you usually think of the powdery substance you get in the ‘international’ aisle at the store. If not done right…it’s chalky and less than savory. THIS IS NOT THAT CURRY! Smooth, flavorful and well-balanced.
Peking Chef cooks this curry to perfection and is almost a velvety coating over the shrimp and veggies. Not too spicy, but big on flavor, this curry balances all the complex flavors that is curry quite well. Imagine lemon, ginger and garlic frolicking through a field of flavors on your tongue. That’s what this is and you should order it. Now, go, now!
Crab Ragoon – Nobakeleni:
Explosion of happiness in your mouth. I promise you, when you order these crab rangoon, you’ll ask why every other restaurant can’t come close to this recipe. Because nothing beats Peking Chef’s crab rangoon. I want to say no. I really do, but every time I start my order for Peking, crab rangoon is on the list.
As I ripped off bites to share with the rest of the table, one Whiskey Baconer said, “Wait, there’s actual crab in there!” Yes, that’s hardly oily, thick cream cheese and real crab bits all in a thick shell, more airy like a puff pastry than the typical crab rangoon.
Shrimp Lo Mein – Leni and Anna
This is one of my favorite dishes to order for take out, but I know they portion the dishes differently in-house (also I’m always hungrier in the resturant) so I was curious if it would live up to my expectations. Totally did. It’s filling, but not heavy, and has the perfect balance of medium-sized shrimp (none of those mini swimmers) and pasta. We all love lo mein, but it blows to have no substance to your meal other than the grain.
I love lo mein when I’m feeling like a piggy, so this one? Still a favorite!
General Tso – Leni and Anna
There’s nothing happier, than a belly filled with mildly spiced General Tso’s and perky broccoli heads. Perky? Yes. The broccoli, like all veggies, at Peking is never over cooked. Take that you saggy broccoli from all of my worst childhood cafeteria lunchs! Served with brown rice, it’s not a huge meal, it’s just right sized. I love the sauce because it’s on the right edge of spicy and tolerable as well. Basically this is the perfect meal for the sisters to share, and we loved it.
If you want to pig out limp, warm enough to be sanitary but lacking a soul, try that shadester buffet. If you like healthy, good for the heart and soul, Chinese food that’s worth your dollar, this is the place. Peking Chef is a nice, quiet restaurant in the Dallas Shopping Plaza. It’s also a great place for birthdays, as Leni found out when she threw a surprise party for Anna. (We’ll not ruin the surprise, but just tell you that it’s amazing and Leni is still angry no one thought to bring her there… next year!)