Reading down the menu at Full Kee is much like reading an index of aquatic life one would find in the ocean deep. Though the squid, jellyfish, shark, lobster, conch, and sea cucumbers found here don’t have as much of a life expectancy as their friends in the wild.
Lobster and fish in tanks greet customers of the popular restaurant on Columbia Pike, patiently waiting to be the next entrée. Farther back, an assortment of duck, not quite as active as their marine friends, can be found hanging near the kitchen.
Connoisseurs of authentic Chinese food will fall in love with a menu that offers a wide selection of traditional dishes. Congee, a type of rice soup that is a popular breakfast dish in China, is available in several different varieties including Congee with minced beef, squid, pig’s skin and peanuts, Congee with meat ball, pig’s tripe, kidney and liver, and Congee with duck blood.
While you may be pressed to find such items as pig’s knuckle, roasted and marinated duck, frog, and soft shell crab at other Chinese restaurants, they are a commonplace at Full Kee. If you’re up to it, the staff might even let you personalize your meal, as the News-Press witnessed a customer doing just that, selecting a particularly plump and lively fish from the tank, that arrived at their table some time later, still plump, albeit a little less lively. You can’t get much fresher than that.
While they excel at the exotic dishes, they also do quite well with the more common Chinese fare. Two dishes the News-Press ordered, the orange chicken and Triple Delight (shrimp, beef and chicken), were both extremely tasty and very filling. A particularly nice touch to the dining experience is the orange wedges that accompany the fortune cookies at the end of the meal.
In addition to the main courses, there are 12 types of soup available and a variety of appetizers (try the crab Rangoon or fried shrimp rolls). Luncheon Specials are offered, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, ranging in price from $4.50 to $5.75 and include such dishes as Sweet & Sour Pork, Szechaun Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, and General Tso’s.
Having some of the latest hours in the area— open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, Full Kee is widely regarded as one of the best Chinese food restaurants in the DC area. Carryout is available, though the menu, while containing over 100 items, is not as extensive as its dine-in counterpart.
Also located in D.C. and Richmond, Full Kee provides a unique and traditional touch when it comes to Chinese dishes from both land and sea.