All in All...Just Another Hole in the Wall?
Written by DCist Contributor Oscar Bunoan
We’ve all heard it before. “You’ve got to try this place out. It’s a complete dive but the food is just to die for!” A friend told me about a hole-in-the-wall place in Chinatown, Full Kee, that's popular with the lunchtime crowd. Is it really? Mythbusters Adam and Jamie should have tried cracking this mystery back in season one, but since they're in San Francisco, it's up to me.
With the deluge of trendy, new meeting spots and renovated mainstays at Gallery Place, it can be easy to see how the "other side” of the Verizon Center can be easily overlooked. But this unfortunate, juxtaposed ghost town is still dotted with many culinary signs of life that appear to be holding their own against the influx of modern and contemporary bullies. Full Kee is one of those signs.
By no stretch of the imagination would this restaurant be worthy of hanging aesthetically with the big dogs at Gallery Place. The drab but warm, yellow paint job and ample amounts of natural light that strikes each tacky decoration in this establishment prevents it from doing so. However, most Chinese restaurants wouldn’t have gone to such decorative lengths. It was all a little strange. To add to this, the efficient staff showed an uncanny ability of being helpful and pleasant without cracking even the faintest of smiles. Spooky.
No, this definitely was not a hole-in-the-wall. A dent, maybe. But no hole.
The menu at Full Kee is presented in what I can only assume is their take on typical Chinese restaurant fashion: one given upon being seated, another posted on the wall, and a third discreetly tucked between the sauces and the shakers. Inconveniently, I only became aware of the menu annex during the course of my meal. So be sure to case the entire joint before deciding what to order. Many diamonds in the rough fail to ever be discovered for that very reason.
With that in mind, would you be at all surprised if my visit yielded more misses than hits?
The first dish to hit the table was the chicken Peking style mixed with broccoli and baby corn. All hopes of any relation to Peking duck were quickly thwarted with my first (and only) bite. In this instance, it’s hard to even imagine chicken and duck being distant relatives. The menu noted this as a spicy dish; however, I couldn't detect even the slightest hint of heat. A rummage through the chicken pieces quickly revealed the answer: no flecks of red or green suggested the kitchen may have overlooked the chilies. Additionally, the presentation was dull and uninspired which matched up all too well with the dryness of the chicken and lack of any real flavor. Result – still hungry.
The wet beef Chow Fun (also available dry) failed to deliver as well. Weighing at least two pounds, minus the serving dish, it’s easy to see how this amalgamation of flat rice noodles, Chinese broccoli, mushrooms, and beef could readily appease the heartiest of appetites. However, the flavor may leave you wanting satisfaction. The pronounced taste here was oil, and it wasn’t even sesame. Please note: my stomach hates me.
Last up was the Kingdom pork chop. Oh, the Kingdom pork chop! All hail the Kingdom pork chop, the savior responsible for salvaging the recently derelict relationship between my stomach and me. The lightly fried batter provided a welcome crunch in sharp contrast to the juicy and tender meat within. All was coated and set in a generous puddle of wonderfully tart sauce powered by rice wine vinegar which was enough to rejuvenate my taste buds, even after their earlier endeavors.
At half past noon, a line of about ten people started forming at the front of the restaurant, all of whom appeared content to wait it out for an open table. The patrons already seated seemed to be reveling over what they had ordered, but aside from the Kingdom pork chop victory, my face was the only one voicing displeasure. Then again, with well over 100 items on the menu, including the likes of duck blood in ginger scallion and jellyfish with preserved hock for the more adventurous, my dismay could simply have been the result of poor decision-making on the day.
So does this hole-in-the-wall really do it better than big name places? I can’t say for certain, but surely, one fantastic dish out of three just doesn’t cut it. If you have a craving for cheap Chinese in Chinatown, head to Full Kee, but be careful about what you order.
Lunch specials available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ($4.50 to $5.75).
Full Kee Restaurant
509 H St., NW
202.371.2233
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown