Review: King Chef Chinese Restaurant
Author: Indy Food Geek | Filed under: Food Reviews, Location: Fishers, IN
King Chef Chinese Restaurant
8664 E. 96th St
Fishers, IN 46037
http://kingchefindy.com/
I popped in for a quick lunch after reading a few really good reviews of this place on Urbanspoon. I’m not at all opposed to the brightly colored, nearly identical menus found in most places, but I’m always on the hunt for a Chinese restaurant that breaks the mold.
Any time I try out a new or different Chinese restaurant, I always order General Tso’s chicken first, even though it isn’t really my favorite dish at most joints. My reasoning is as follows: if the restaurant in question cannot produce a passable version of the perennial Midwestern American/Chinese buffet favorite, then what hope do they have of getting anything else right? I’m not looking for superior regional authenticity here, just honest-to-goodness take-out menu classics. Truthfully, it’s worked pretty well so far.
My first impressions of this place were great. The inside is very clean and sparsely decorated with a little classy touch in the lighting. The staff is very friendly and they treated regulars dining near me like old friends. I also love the fact that hot tea is delivered to your table without asking, free of charge, which is a nice touch on a freezing November afternoon! Let me just say that this place was PACKED. Big parties, single tables and a line for carry-out. I don’t think this place is hurtin’ for business.
What I Got: #12 General Tso’s Chicken Combo with Fried Rice, Egg Roll and Hot & Sour Soup; $5.75 plus tax and tip. This price includes complimentary hot tea.
My food arrived quite promptly, which is a good thing when on a short lunch break. The hot and sour soup was just like every other cup I’ve ever had as it had just a little too much black pepper for my taste. Nothing special to report here. My entrée followed closely after the soup and impressed me right off the bat. The fried rice was actually fried (!!!) as opposed to the hideous yellow dye #5 Mexican-hybrid “fried” rice flecked with neon pink pork nibs you find almost everywhere else in this region. See the pictures because this was good stuff. The chicken was on par with some of the best I’ve had in the area, but still unique in it’s own right. Unlike some versions I’ve had, this appeared to contain almost all white meat chicken and it was still very moist. The breading held up to the sauce quite well, but was not overly thick. If I had to pick one thing that I did not enjoy, it would have to be the lack of broccoli. The carrots, peppers and onions were okay, but I really consider broccoli to be the standard vegetable of choice and I found myself missing it. The egg roll seemed like it was house-made, but I could be wrong. It tasted very fresh and wasn’t overly greasy. Many places treat egg rolls as a disposal side dish, but this thing was front-and-center kind of material. The portion size was just fine for lunch and certainly acceptable for the price.
Would I Buy It Again? Yes. I would definitely go back and I would most likely order something different (which is intended to be a compliment). King Chef passed my General Tso’s litmus test. The service was stellar, the food was really tasty and fresh and the price made it one heck of a value.
Footnote: On my way out, I noticed a “Chinese Menu” that appeared to contain the authentic items. It’s on their website too. I can’t read a word of it but the few pictures I saw looked enticing.
-Indy Food Geek
Tags: chinese, egg roll, fishers, Food, fried rice, general tso's chicken, hot & sour soup, king chef, tea
I live right by where you work, thus I am close to this place as well. I love Chinese food, but for whatever reason, I’ve never been in here despite the fact that I’ve wanted to. After reading your review, I’ll definitely give this place a look next time I feel like Chinese food. By the way, completely agree on your usage of General Tso’s chicken as a litmus test. It’s a good “catch-all” to see what everything else is like at a particular restaurant and it’s one of my favorites too, so that doesn’t hurt.
Great first review! The food does look really good, not like it came frozen from the same distributor all the cookie-cutter Chinese places use.
I like this place a lot, though it isn’t our stand-by Chinese (that would be Dragon House, for a few reasons). I go here when I’m craving Mu Shu Pork, which they do nicely and even fill the pancakes tableside for you. Yum.
Chinese food here is all over the map. I’ve been looking for a good spot around downtown, and so far I’ve settled on Zheng’s Garden. It’s not amazing or anything, but it’s better than most. My favorite place so far is Yen Ching up on Michigan and 465, but it’s too far away for a quick bite. More Chinese food reviews, please!
I work close to that area as well and I’ve heard a lot of good things about that place. After reading your review I’m definitely going to have to try it now.
I definately agree that General Tso’s needs broccoli! Other than that oversight it looks good.
Greeting and welcome – Indy Food Geek. Nice first review!
This is our go to place for Chinese food in Fishers. We normally get take-out but last time we dined in. Good food, & good portions. Never had a bad meal here.
Man that looks really good & the price cant be beat! Wish we had someplace like that here in my corner of NC:-)
I’ve worked by King Chef for more than 8 years. They are fantastic at lunch, but when I’ve been in there for dinner it’s a different story. Sloooooow service, really light crowds. You can’t beat it for a quick lunch, though. It’s always packed — which means I can’t talk about coworkers. Chances are one or more are there!
@indianapoliseater – Glad you agree! You should try this place out… I’m already planning a return visit to try the Chinese menu. I saw a picture of what appeared to be stir-fried long beans… Homeboy’s gonna chow down.
@parklife – more Chinese reviews? You got it. I’m open to requests if there’s a particular one you want to see.
@Cath – That’s a bummer about dinner service… but in that part of town, I am not at all surprised.
@Everyone else, thanks for all the comments and the warm welcome!
Nice work IFG. Been past a million times and I never stopped, now I will.
Y’all do know that General Tso’s Chicken is not real Chinese food, right?
The more authentic stuff from the Chinese menu and other off-menu stuff at King Chef is generally decent but not earth shattering. Their (shell-on) salt-and-pepper shrimp is one of the better versions around in Indy, when the correct chef cooks it.
@huiray – I’m pretty sure that most of us are all aware that most of the stuff on most of the Chinese places in Indy have little to do with authentic Chinese food. However, General’s is a dish that is on all their menus and serves as a good ‘base test’ for how their food fairs.
I’m always up for authentic food from whatever the culture, if you have a recommendation for a good place and dish to try I’d love to hear it! I have only recently found a place that has an alternate more authentic menu. And have only tried one dish on it so far ‘Sichuan Chinese’ in Carmel (116th and Rangeline ish)
I’d love to know if this is a good place for authentic Chinese? I know I like it but I have no idea if it is authentic.
Great first review, Indy Food Geek! Keep it up! We love reading your witty reviews and reading your great insight. Would love to hear some fast food and Italian reviews…. LOL
My husband and I love King Chef! It is some of the best (and cheapest) Chinese food in Indy. The hot tea is wonderful!