The Kong Pao Triple Delight is a favorite because it features shrimp, chicken and beef ($14).[/caption]
In the busy plaza at the intersection of Kingsland Boulevard and Pin Oak Road sits a quiet Chinese restaurant that keeps the culture’s traditions alive.
Beijing Ranch, located at 1251 Pin Oak Road Ste. 129, was designed to make customers feel like they are halfway across the world, not in an American Chinese restaurant.
“I wanted to open a traditional Chinese restaurant,” owner William Wong said. “It’s a lot different than most other Chinese places.”
The restaurant, lit with Chinese lanterns, opened in 2013 and is filled with furniture and décor shipped directly from China. It took Wong a year to design the concept and purchase the goods before he could open the doors for business, he said.
People do not just come to eat at Beijing Ranch, Wong said. They come for the experience, too.
“People come in here to eat, but they’re not only eating food,” he said. “They notice the difference. They notice the culture.”
Wong managed a five-star hotel in Beijing before coming to the United States in 1999. After his tenure at the hotel, Wong said he knew what it took to open his own restaurant.
Wong works to keep his food unique, he said. The chef special vegetable combo, for example, is made with lotus roots and other uncommon ingredients.
But food is not the only thing that sets Beijing Ranch apart from other restaurants. Adhering to culture, Wong also serves tea on a traditional tea table.
“People always ask me why I serve hot tea in Texas,” Wong said. “I tell them if they like drinking coffee, they’re going to like drinking [hot] tea.”
Tea is an important part of Chinese culture, he said. For that reason, the restaurant holds free tea classes each weekday at roughly 2 p.m.
“It’s so you can taste it, understand it and learn how to make it,” Wong said. “I have an explanation for each tea.”
The restaurant offers a variety of tea, and Wong said he can explain the subtleties of each one and the best way to serve it.
Tea is best served by itself with no sugar or additional sweeteners, Wong said, and he tries to follow the same principle with his food.
“I don’t have sugar, soy sauce or salt on my table,” Wong said. “I always try to remind customers and myself not to eat food too salty and not to use too much sugar. It’s not good.”
Since Beijing Ranch has been open, Wong said it has survived through its regular customers.
“I don’t [use] any money for advertisements,” Wong said. “I rely on word-of-mouth. I always appreciate getting [online] reviews.”
1251 Pin Oak Road Ste. 129, Katy 832-437-7002 www.beijingranch.com Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
