Chinese Eatery Content to Steer Steady Course

A waitress at Chung King Loh in Solana Beach took the situation in hand when a recent guest balked at using chopsticks.

This guest was a dedicated fork user, despite the fact (and this is a fine point taught only by experience) that Chinese and Japanese food tastes better and indeed eats better when taken with the implements proper to the cuisine, just as certain foods and wines pair perfectly, while others create hideous disharmonies.

After this guest rejected the proffered chopsticks, the waitress, most definitely not the sort of person to accept a negative answer, returned with an ingenious improvised arrangement that she called “automatic chopsticks.” This consisted of a pair of regulation sticks, separated at the top by a small wad of paper (actually, the paper sheath in which the sticks had been wrapped) and joined by a rubber band. The contraption looked somewhat like an elongated clothespin and worked like a charm for the diner who employed it.

It would be nice if the innovation at Chung King Loh extended beyond this device, but the kitchen largely seems content to serve the same menu it always has offered, which to a large degree reflects the menus of other Chinese houses in the vicinity and rarely strikes out on its own. If the restaurant seems comfortable in the same well-worn groove, it may be because the place is something of the grande dame of Chinese establishments along this stretch of the North County coast and has a well-established clientele.

The appetizer list offers such regulation items as egg rolls, fried won ton, fried shrimp and ribs, separately or commingled on the dreaded “ pu pu platter” of local restaurant custom. There are pot stickers and steamed dumplings as well, the latter done competently if no better (they could be both juicier and better seasoned). The one unusual offering, and a likeable one, is the plate of onion pancakes, crisp, flaky discs full of mild scallion flavor.

The entree selections vary little from the choices found elsewhere--and everywhere--and even the specialties list is relatively brief. Among the offerings are crispy beef, sweet and pungent shrimp, sizzling seafood and crispy whole fish, all standard dishes. The restaurant does seem to place an emphasis on seafood preparations with black bean sauce, however, and the “double happiness,” a pairing of shrimp and scallops in this low-key but savory sauce, is included among the specialties. Mixed with squares of braised onion and green bell pepper, this is a mild but savory dish that emphasizes the sweet, fresh flavors of the seafood.

The kitchen in general seems happy when cooking shellfish and also turned in a good performance with the shrimp kung pao , a contemporary classic that gains much of its interest from the peanuts used in the garnish. They need to be added at the right moment and sauteed to a good, crisp finish, as at Chung King Loh. Kung pao dishes (also available with beef, chicken or lobster) also call for the tricky, sometimes mild and sometimes incendiary dried Szechuan peppers, which the kitchen used carefully to produce a controlled, appetizing heat.

Another old standby, moo shu , again is done quite well here. The most elaborate version combines whole shrimp and shreds of meat with a savory vegetable julienne and rolls the mixture in delicate pancakes spread with a sweet, rich paste. The combination of flavors is outstanding.

Pork with spicy brown sauce had no particular spice to it, but tasted of a great deal of salt. On the other hand, the menu did not indicate chili heat in the mung bean noodles with black mushrooms, but there was plenty of it, and it seemed out of place.

The poultry list is fairly dull and includes a basic chicken with vegetables that was prepared without finesse. Other choices here are fried chicken, the inevitable sweet and sour, and, with advance notice, Peking duck.

Chung King Loh does put both feet forward in the area of vegetarian choices. The unusually long list includes vegetarian dumplings and soups, Szechuan-style braised tofu, noodles in hotly spiced soybean paste, curried potatoes, meatless egg foo young and more than a dozen other offerings.

David Nelson regularly reviews restaurants for The Times in San Diego. His column also appears in Calendar on Fridays.

Chung King Loh

552 Stevens Ave., Solana Beach

Calls: 481-0184

Hours: lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner nightly

Cost: Entrees $4.95 to $15.95. Dinner for two, including a glass of wine each, about $25 to $50.