Peking Gourmet

Let's face facts: Chinese buffets are almost always a risky choice. It's really hard to make food in large quantities that stays tasty sitting on a steam table for hours, yet allows you to charge under $10 per head. My dining companion came to the Peking Gourmet nearly ten years ago and had some good memories of it, so we decided to risk it for a late lunch. It was sadly disappointing.

I tried a variety of dishes from the buffet. It's pretty sad when the Crispy Chicken--heavily breaded and deep-fried chicken in a sweet sauce--was the best of the buffet. It was passable, but still all you tasted was sauce and breading, a single note of flavor blasted, trumpet-like. The kung pao chicken was dry and overcooked, with hardly any sauce. The spring rolls were chewy (though on the plus side, they avoided being greasy). The teriyaki chicken might has well have been bought frozen in a grocery store, and the parsley chicken, which I had hoped might show some delicacy and refinement, was just bland.

However, there is one saving grace of the Peking Gourmet is its Mongolian grill. Diners selected their own bowl of ingredients: chicken, pork, or beef and assorted vegetables, and a cook prepares it while you watch. I will say that while the flavor of the sauce is still bland, the freshly cooked plate of food is the best option on the buffet. It's still nothing special, but it's better than the dry, flavorless stuff on the buffet.

The service was perfunctory but attentive, and the restaurant is showing its age with its interior decor and old furniture. There may not be other Chinese food options in Clayton, which is a pity. Because, apart from the Mongolian Grill (the reason I give this restaurant 2 stars instead of 1), there's no reason to visit the Peking Gourmet... that is unless you like quantity over quality.

Going to a chinese restaurant when you are out of a major metropoloitan area is always a matter of faith. In the case of Peking gourmet, your faith is rewarded with competent food and service.

A good North Georgia alternative to country cooking when you're ready for a change or heading home on Sunday evening when much else is closed.  Buffet a good value and the Mongolian Grill, included in buffet, is excellent.