For over a generation, Peking restaurant and the Chu family have built a legacy for fine Mandarin Chinese cuisine in Stockton. However, Peking Restaurant isn’t resting on its laurels in 2014 – it has a new decor and dessert menu for its 35th year in operation.
“A lot of our customers come in every week, but even so we wanted to give the restaurant a new look,” says owner William Chu. “We changed the interior with new colors and decor that provide a new, but warm feel.” While the interior design may have changed, the quality of the menu hasn’t changed over the years, whether it is third-generation customers or first-time visitors who learn about the restaurant through its social media campaigns on Facebook and other sites. “Our first-time guests fall in love with the restaurant immediately and tell us they are coming back,” says Chu. “They enjoy the combination of friendly servers, helpful staff and good food cooked in an efficient manner.”
Stellar Service:
High-quality customer service has been the foundation for the restaurant’s success for over three decades. Along with being attentive to their guest needs, Peking restaurant also maintains a consistency with its menu items that encourages repeat customers to have new experiences. “I started working here as a child,” says Chu. “I have seen all sides of the business, so we know what is needed to make our guests happy.” Most of the employees at peaking restaurant are members of the Chu family, so providing a family-like atmosphere is natural. “I have my uncles who work here, and they make it easier for us to have better service and keep the family home feeling at a public restaurant,” says Chu. “We have built our family name and legacy through this restaurant, and we want to make sure our customers keep coming back.”
Marvelous Menu:
The large and appetizing menu at Peking Stockton is what allows customers to enjoy dozens of different dining experiences. The roots of the restaurant’s menu are from North China, with Mandarin and Szechuan cooking styles that use fairly mild spices, fresh vegetables and meats. “We make our own sweet-and-sour sauce in-house, which definitely adds to the flavor of our food,” says Chu. “Our customers can really taste the difference, and they like it even more.” The most popular entrée is the hot braised fish, a fried whole fish braised with green onions in a spicy ginger sauce. Another item that incorporates the homemade sweet-and-sour sauce is the sweet-and-sour rock cod entrée. The cod is fresh from the San Francisco Bay and is deep-fried to a golden brown and topped with the homemade sauce.
The other braised fish entrée is the Shandong braised fish, served with fresh vegetables and black mushrooms and a Chinese anise and pepper sauce. A steamed fish entrée served with julienned fresh ginger and green onions in a house Chinese wine sauce is another popular fish option. “In our culture, fish is the traditional item to have during dinner to mark a celebration,” says Chu. We are happy that our customers get to take part in this tradition in their own way.”
The rest of the menu is complete with both traditional and unique items including beef, lamb, mu shu, poultry and soup. The newest additions to the Peking restaurant menu are the dessert options including three different types of cheesecake: original with cherries, white chocolate raspberry, and chocolate caramel. Hot coffee has also been added to complete the new dessert menu. “I feel like before nobody ever wanted to have dessert in Asian restaurants – it seemed out of place for them,” says Chu. “It is a lot different now that we are offering it; people like it and we can fulfill all of their dessert needs with the same high-quality food and service. It
has definitely been a change for the better.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Peking restaurant
7555 Pacific Ave., Ste. 115
Stockton, (209) 957-0617
www.pekingstockton.com