The name of this restaurant may confuse people by suggesting Vietnamese rather than the Hong Kong style cuisine it serves. The explanation is that the restaurant has a Vietnamese clientele that appreciates authentic Chinese cooking. The entries on the elaborate menu are written in Chinese, Vietnamese, and English. The restaurant doubled its size just over a year ago, and attendance has kept pace. Prices are reasonable and portions are large.
Diners seeking a simple meal can order some of the Chinese-barbecue-style dishes, including roast duck, roast pig, and soy-sauce chicken along with large bowls of noodle soup with toppings like shrimp dumplings and beef brisket.
To take in the full measure of the restaurant, consider fresh seafood–lobster, Dungeness crab, oysters, or whole fish. Casseroles are special and range from chicken or vegetable to eggplant with salted fish and minced chicken. Winners on recent visits included beef short ribs in black-pepper sauce, spicy Chinese watercress Malaysian style, shrimp in garlic sauce, clams with black-bean sauce, and Hong Kongstyle pan-fried thin egg noodles topped with seafood and meat. A Chinese friend suggested a dish not on the menu–quay fee chicken, which is steamed and served with a dipping sauce of pepper, garlic, ginger, and salt–that was also a winner.
For a smaller and more modest version of Vinh Kee, visit Cho Cu Saigon inside the Eden Center at Seven Corners.
Vinh Kee, 3103-D Graham Rd., Falls Church; 703-645-0118.
