Peking Chef restaurant says it specializes in Hunan, Szechuan and Cantonese Cuisine, but we found their food bland. They also offer sushi.
On a recent Sunday evening my family and I decided to give Peking Chef a try. Located in a corner of the Hickory Ridge Village Center at 6420 Freetown road in Columbia, MD, Peking Chef’s décor is clean and spacious with a clear Asian influence. We were greeted and seated right away, in the nearly empty restaurant. That’s about where the high points end. When we looked around to order, no one was in sight. Even the sushi chef had left his station. Eventually someone showed up and we placed our order.
First out was my husband’s Hot and Sour soup which was heated with black pepper but otherwise unseasoned. My daughter’s Egg Drop soup was flavorless. They were almost finished with their soup before my Chicken with Corn soup arrived. Any longer and I would have sent it back untouched. I found it bland with a hint of corn flavor and the unpleasant texture of dry chicken crumbles.
For appetizers we ordered fried dumplings and Barbecued Spareribs. While the filling for the dumpling had an ok flavor, the dipping sauce was mostly vinegar. I ended up using strait soy sauce instead. The ribs were dry and completely tasteless. Even duck sauce couldn’t save them, especially not the thin watery kind they offered.
Portions on the main course were very good sized for the price. Sadly, the Soft Shell Crab with Ginger Scallion Sauce had a soggy gummy texture. It was slathered in a sauce that would have benefited from much more ginger and scallions. The Shrimp Pad Thai had lots of large shrimp tossed with Chow Foon noodles. Other than a slight smoky flavor, it was bland as well.
Overall we found both the food and service unimpressive. We didn’t sample any of their sushi, but judging by the lack of turnover, I wouldn’t want to try it.