Optima Magazine

28 Main Avenue • Moor Park • Northwood • HA6 2HJ • 01923 820951

Reviewed by Jill Glenn

Many a local restaurateur must be envious of Peking Garden. Its location, central to the Moor Park estate, gives it a captive audience, but it would be unfair to suggest that that is the only reason for its popularity and success – and its impressive longevity.

Owners Kim and Lai Wong have worked hard for around a quarter of a century to develop a loyal clientele from in and out of the estate, and the delightful, relaxed atmosphere is a tribute to their personal input. Atmosphere alone isn’t enough, of course – a restaurant is only as good as its last meal – so there’s an extensive and interesting menu, and constant attention to detail ensuring that the food itself looks and tastes great.

We began with a Steamed Dim Sum Basket (two little parcels of pork, two little parcels of prawn) and the endearingly named Toss Fried Squid. Lightly coated in flour, and cooked with chilli, the latter was particularly good, and woke up our tastebuds in preparation for the feast to come.

The beauty of Chinese food is that you can mix and match dishes to create a meal that is perfectly adjusted to your own preferences. The danger is that you favour the same choices time after time and don’t explore the full panoply of flavours and textures…

We did our best to avoid the risk, ordering Scallops (Stir-fried with Ginger and Spring Onion, and really rather good) instead of our usual prawns, and Sizzling Fillet of Beef, Szechuan Style, instead of chicken. The Beef arrived with great drama, as a good sizzling dish should, and tasted excellent: rich and deep and delicious.

As hard as we tried, though, we couldn’t bring ourselves not to order the Stir Fried Green Beans in Garlic (no-one does Stir Fried Green Beans in Garlic like Peking Garden…) and an old favourite, Deep Fried Chilli Bean Curd, which was as clean and crisp as ever. Not one to be missed. We washed the whole thing down with a Gewurztraminer, which possessed a splendid taste of lychees and combined beautifully with the delicacy of the subtle Chinese flavours.

Desserts are traditional: Toffee Apple or Banana, Lychees and a range of ice creams. If you ask nicely, though, and the kitchen’s not too busy, they’ll make you a Red Bean Pancake: in my humble opinion, the best way to finish a Chinese meal.

Only as good as its last meal? On this evidence, Peking Garden remains very good indeed. Here’s to the next 25 years.

Price Guide:
Starters: £3-£8.50
Mains £5.50-£9.80
House wine: £12.50