Tucked away in an odd corner of the city, an area with almost no passing trade, behind one of the two Michelin starred restaurant in Cambridge we find a brightly lit Chinese restaurant. It’s mostly unremarkable looking and not easily distinguishable from any other similar establishment you’ve been to before.
The Peking Restaurant was a recommendation from a friend and if it wasn’t for them I might never have discovered it. Peking moved years ago from a much more central location for reasons I haven’t quite fathomed.
It got off to a great start: the restaurant staff had coned off a parking space just for us – and as we arrived they came bursting out of the door to welcome us and get the door. Way to make me feel like a rock star! If I was feeling cynical I might say this was because the restaurant was largely empty – early on a Friday night. However, honestly, I think they are just very welcoming.
It looks exactly like most other Chinese restaurants – big circular tables with ornate dark wooden chairs and traditional decoration. Out waiter was a youngish man – at a guess I’d say the Chef’s son, and could not have been more friendly or welcoming. Overflowing with passion for the food and the experience – he was a real treat.
Seconds into perusing the menu the Chef came bounding over and offered to prepare us a banquet to save us having to choose. We told him we had some specific requirements, one veggie, one who wanted no fish or wheat, or anything too spicy etc. etc. Unphased by these requirements he asked us how much we wanted to spend – around £20 a head – and said he’d sort us out. And that he did!
Starter platter
A decent sized platter of dumplings – four pork and one specially set aside veggie option plus some spring rolls and crispy seaweed with cashews and ribs. The dumplings were moist and delicious with an array of dipping sauces – all homemade. Packed with flavour and overall excellent. The spring rolls were pretty standard – pleasant but nothing that blew my mind. The ribs were not your saucy bbq type but they had plenty of succulent meat and had a nice rich flavour.
Chicken and with chilli and cashew
Incredible moist and succulent niblets of chicken in a light, garlicky sauce with warm cashews and spring onions. The colours were wonderful – with deep dark red seared chilli’s (which we’re not supposed to eat – just ask Method’s very own Jo Farncombe) This was basically excellent nothing new or flashy – but just done right. Considering it was packed full of chilis it had a mild heat, not overpowering. Excellently seasoned and not over salty as this dish has been for me in the past.
Aubergine with some kind of sauce(!?)
I can’t remember what this was.. Sorry But it has big fat chunks of aubergine with loads of texture, neither squishy nor chewy. Really flavoursome. Not at all sweet or sickly it had a deep, rich dark flavour that I can’t describe. Again also excellent. The vegetarian said it was “yummy.”
smokey Barbecue lamb with leek and chilli
This was probably my favourite – and a clear in-house favourite as the waiter went to great lengths in describing the preparation of the dish. Basically the oil in the pan was heated until just before ignition point and the very thinly sliced lamb is thrown in – the liquids and oils dissipate into a smoky mist which barbecues the lamb. Boy oh boy is this smoky. It was a surprising mixture of Texan and Chinese flavours. Magnificent.
Tofu in Yellow Bean Sauce
Normally, like many people, I’m very on the fence about tofu. It’s either tasteless or soggy and rarely pleasant. This however was beautifully seared and had a fantastic texture – keeping shape and crisp edges while also absorbing the flavour from the yellow bean sauce. Lightly cooked, chunky peppers topped it off with hints of garlic and hoisin coming through.
Overall I did feel like I’d had a bit too much salt by the end of the meal – although nothing was obviously overly salted – but then I feel that a lot about Chinese food anyway. The only other negative is that it was just so damn quiet. It lacked a bit of atmosphere. (It was also too bright for my taste.)
That being said, The Peking Restaurant is an undiscovered gem and has fought hard to be called – by us – the best Chinese Restaurant in Cambridge. The staff were all outstanding, from how they treated and welcomed us, to their passion for what they make and of course the superb food. We just need to drum up a few more people to go there on a Friday night and we’re set.
