Full Kee Chinese Restaurant

Located at 3293 Samet Drive in High Point, Full Kee offers Chinese fare for lunch and dinner. The restaurant is open seven days a week and serves alcohol.

Ever since I moved from New Jersey to North Carolina ten years ago, I have been on a futile search for good Chinese food. To be fair, the Tarheel State does offer some credible Asian fusion. But the strictly Chinese establishments are, more often than not, likely to be generic takeout or a chain (PF Chang’s, Panda Express, etc.). Enter Full Kee, a full-service restaurant with a respectably varied menu. Could this be the end of the search? If the first visit was any indication, the answer is no.

To its credit, Full Kee has a fairly deep menu, especially for these parts. While I was dismayed to see that cold sesame noodles (a personal favorite) were missing, the establishment offers a variety of duck, lamb, and sea bass dishes to complement the usual suspects (fired rice, kung pao, etc.). Moreover, the interior, while a bit dated in its design (salmon-on-brown, dark lighting, etc.) is nevertheless classy, clean, and comfortable. Service, while a touch impersonal, was efficient.

Unfortunately, the food disappointed. An order of steamed dumplings was doughy with an unexpected sweet note, qualities one doesn’t typically appreciate in this type of dish. The Singapore noodles were pleasingly fragrant and visually appealing but could have used a bit more seasoning.

Were this take-out Chinese, these missteps would have been par for the course. However, Full Kee seems to hold itself to a higher standard – and its customers to a higher price point. To put it simply, this place overcharges. All of the entrees are in the teens or higher, including simple noodle and rice dishes. For perspective, I was able to get a superior version of the dumplings and Singapore noodles in center city Charlotte (nobody’s idea of a low-cost area) for several dollars less.

Full Kee looks and feels the part of a real Chinese restaurant, and the menu suggests that Chef Yu knows his way around one, but the high prices and uneven execution don’t inspire much faith. Consider Full Kee a half-measure.

6.5/10