We were only in town for one night and couldn't resist Chef Lee's Peking Restaurant. I had done all the research including google mapping with street view. WOW! They can't hide the CIA in Langely as well as this place. Coming from Whitesville Road you approach an intersection off an overpass bridge. It's a busy retail place so there were signs everywhere. To the right was a fast food Chinese place. To the left was a huge bowling alley. Across was a busy Publix plaza. We went straight, back, left, back and as a last resort, right. Bingo! When you approach from that overpass, you are actually right beside it but it's totally obscured by bushes.
The place is a show stopper. Very imperial Chinese thing going on. There's a portico to drop passengers off so people don't get rained on. No valet in sight but it was a weekday eve. Once in the foyer, you have to tug open huge glass doors. Inside is the bar along the left and the hostess stand on the right.
In back of this is an enormous space divided by a glass center hall. Three glass panels floor to ceiling account for all of the hall itself and between the panes of glass on each wall flows water in rivulets like rain through an etched scene of Chinese landscapes. That center hall contains some tables along one side but on the other is an elaborate bright red fence and a free flowing water fall that feeds the koi pond under the floor. That's right! Right under your feet you are looking at very large ghost koi cruising mysteriously through the flickering lights.
Kids are obviously going to go bonkers over this. Ask to be seated in that main hall so your kids can ogle the fish and waterfall just a few feet from your table in plain sight.
Unsurprisingly, the staff and management are Asian. They are efficient and polite. The busboys cruise the main floor like hungry sharks clearing tables like a magician. Waiters hang out in plain view obviously ready for anything. Americans are quite boisterous when they dine for the most part and Asians who eat in a very focused and quiet way are easily caught up in any major head movements or suddenly loud statements. Everytime my husband and I laughed out loud at a funny story, wham! There's somebody at our side.
All this being said, the food was not uniformly delicious. Steamed dumplings were very delicate on the outside and full of flavor in the meaty filling. But we're used to a more robust dipping sauce. Ours was nothing but soy sauce.
My husband had Shredded Pork which was quite good and the shared rice (with refills) was properly cooked and heated. I had Lemon Chicken. Frankly, Chick Filet beats it hands down. I always ask for any sauces on the side so I can judge each element on its own. The waitress was very emphatic as she repeated my order and agreed sauce on the side was okay.
When the chicken dish arrived, no sauce at all. No problem, she was constantly buzzing around and sped off to the kitchen for the side dish. Back she came with enough lemon sauce to paint the building. Sadly, it could have been skipped. I believe it was nothing more than cornstarch, water, and lemon juice. We tried mixing it up with a little zippy mustard and duck sauce... no luck. Soy on top helped. Also, the chicken was cooked too long making most of it dry and tough. The breaded coating, though, was light and crispy without a hint of greasiness.
The highlight of the meal was an amazing soup I'd never even heard of: Sizzling Rice. Here is someone who's adventerous and talented in the kitchen. The chicken soup base had a strong yet not overpowering flavor of pepper. Very delicate. It was chockfull of tender chicken and shrimp with the usual veggies and the whole thing is covered in a deep fried rice top. The crunchy topping, peppery broth, and vibrant vegetables made me want to lick the bowl. Well done!
There's an extensive drink menu with some impressive wines. And every time we ordered a beer, the waitress ran toward the bar shouting, "Two Hieneken!" like it was medication to stab into the heart of a dying patron. Very amusing.
The service is so fast we had to put on the brakes. If you're intending to have a pleasant and leisurely dining experience, go on a week day and remind the staff about a gillion times. On the other hand, this place can handle a huge crowd very efficiently, so don't be disappointed if you see a lot of people waiting.
The main problem we had was our particular waitress. She was so busy dashing about, she didn't pay attention to what she was actually doing. She had to return to the kitchen to get three more items that were in our order. We ordered two appetizers which we got one at a time after a reminder. We both ordered soup; she forgot the second soup. I ordered sauce on the side; she forgot the sauce. When she swooped down on the table with an order, we literally had to jump out of the way. I think she was just a little too eager.
All things considered, I would give it an above average rating. A place this big is naturally going to have a less talented waiter once and a while but I wouldn't hesitate to go back. It's kind of neat watching the kids crowding around the glass floor with the fish swimming under their feet and the staff was very patient and amused with their attention.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
