Every aspect of King Palace’s decor is indicative of the kinds of Chinese restaurants that are mainstays of high streets across the country. Metallic letters adorn the sign that hangs outside; a menu is given its own window next to the door; guests are greeted by a glowing red ‘open’ on their way in; the tablecloths are heavy-duty and bright white. The result is a restaurant that’s been serving Orpington for decades and shows no signs of stopping.
Menu-wise, there’s everything you’d expect to see plus a range of authentic dishes from Beijing and Szechuan. Those after a culinary overview of these provinces can turn to their respective set menus. Both follow a starter, middle, main structure, differing on what’s offered between opening and closing courses. For Beijing Feast, it’s soup (sweetcorn with chicken or crab, hot and sour or wonton) and for Szechuan it’s crispy duck or lamb. Lobster Feast, the third set menu, is mostly seafood, with the eponymous crustacean served as the middle dish.
If going a la carte, the options are vast. Starters range from grilled scallops to salt and pepper courgettes to Vietnamese summer rolls. Mains are divided into seafood (a prominent feature throughout the menu), poultry, beef and lamb, and pork. The seafood selection includes stir fried clams, lemon king prawns, fried Vietnamese sole and steamed sea bass. Elsewhere, there’s classics like crispy chilli beef, sweet and sour chicken and roast BBQ pork.
Rounding out the mains are sizzling dishes and hot pots, such as Mongolian lamb or double cooked duck. For noodles, you can choose from king prawn, beef, chicken or pork served either chow mein, vermicelli, ho fun or crispy style. As well as the ubiquitous egg, King Palace offers pineapple fried rice. Here the rice is stir fried with king prawns and chicken before being served inside a fresh pineapple.