Peking Palace fulfills a special
niche in the San Diego dining scene as the precise
all-in-one Chinese restaurant to meet your takeout,
dine-in, banquet, and catering needs.
It accomplishes this with attentive
dining service, a peaceful interior, and delicious
food that will satisfy your midday and late
night cravings! Obscurely located in University
Town Center across from Robinson May and next
door to Cozy Mel’s, Peking Palace is worth
discovering (though it could benefit from signs
off Genesee Avenue).
The restaurant seems spacious,
thanks to its simple elegance and wide walkways
between tables. Aligning the left side of the
restaurant are two rows of comfortable booths,
regular or L-shaped.
The mood is casual and down-tempo
with lime colored tablecloths and the sound
of Spanish guitar courting you in the background.
Its décor is subtle, blending mahogany,
pastels, and glass medians. Peking Palace has
changed locations and chefs its past 21 years
but maintained a loyal following. The menu is
reasonably priced.
Its best deal is the $7 luncheon
combination that comes with soup, an appetizer,
and rice.
Peking’s menu includes vegetarian options
like the Sauteed Baby Bok Choy, Vegetable with
Beancurd Soup, Mu Shu Vegetable, and Spicy Eggplant.
Peking has revitalized its menu
with the help of Kin Yee Shek, the distinguished
executive chef from Santa Monica’s celebrated
Madame Wu’s. Shek is masterful at discreetly
saturating each dish with memorable sauces.
He revs up your tastebuds with Pan Fried Dumplings
with sweet teriyaki dipping sauce and just crisp
enough Shanghai Egg Rolls. The Crab Raggon is
addictive.
This appetizer comes in a deep
fried wonton skin delicately filled with crab
meat and cream cheese.
The pairing is harmonious and delightful with
each bite. For a dramatic entrance order the
Three Flavor Sizzling Rice Soup. The sizzling
begins when your server tosses squares of fried
golden rice crust in the hot broth.
The chicken, pork, shrimp, carrot,
and snow pea-laden soup is hearty with a light
flavor.
You have to be willing to order off the beaten
path to discover standouts like Honey Walnut
Shrimp.
Shek creatively covers tender lightly battered
shrimp with honeyed walnuts and citrus mayonnaise.
It’s a compelling junction of sweet and tangy.
Make sure you savor the walnut and shrimp together
in one exhilarating bite. If you like spicy, General
Tso’s Chicken commands your taste buds. Chunks
of lightly battered chicken are deep-fried and
sautéed in a spicy hoisin sauce with a
hint of orange. The chicken is the real find here.
It’s moist and not heavy from the deep frying.
It’s a wonderful dish to share.
When it comes
to dressing your noodles, Shek wisely
opts for self-control. This philosophy
makes the Peking Palace Special Dinner
another fabulous choice. Still crunchy
noodles are covered with sauteed jumbo
shrimp, chicken, roasted pork, snow peas,
shiitake and button mushrooms, water chestnuts,
and bamboo shoots. The noodles absorb
the deep broth-like flavor. Hot or cold
these noodles are enticing! I suggest
adding this item to your takeout order.
It’s the perfect comfort food. Peking
is open for lunch and dinner daily. It
hosts banquets for up to 60 people. If
you’re like me, you’ll find
several reasons to return.
