A Full Kee Feast of Dim Sum and Cantonese Classics in Richmond

A stack of steamers on a rolling cart can make lunch at Full Kee pleasantly hard to plan. One moment you are considering shrimp dumplings; the next, a cart comes by with pork buns, turnip cakes or spring rolls, and the table’s original plan has expanded by three plates.

Full Kee is a long-established Richmond stop for Cantonese cooking in the Hong Kong tradition, and dim sum gives the dining room its liveliest rhythm. The dishes arrive in small portions—steamed, baked and fried—so lunch naturally becomes a shared tasting session rather than a single-order meal.

The room is traditional and family-oriented rather than sleek or fashionably minimal. Large tables and rotating centers make sense here: there is room for several baskets, plates of vegetables, a pot of tea and the steady accumulation of dishes a good group meal tends to produce.

During traditional dim sum service, multi-level carts circulate through the dining room carrying prepared dishes to inspect before choosing. It is a more immediate way to order than studying a long list: look, point, add one more thing to the table.

There is also a dim sum menu for checkbox-style ordering, useful when everyone has a particular favorite in mind or a cart has already passed. The mix of approaches keeps the meal flexible. You can choose on impulse from the cart, then fill in the gaps with a requested order.

Cart service is associated with the earlier dim sum hours. After 3 p.m., dim sum may be ordered from the menu rather than selected from carts, and an additional charge may apply. For diners who enjoy the cart tradition itself, the earlier part of the day is the time to catch it.

Siu mai and shrimp dumplings are familiar starting points, but the range extends well beyond the usual two-basket order. Shrimp balls, rice-noodle rolls, steamed pork ribs, chicken feet and turnip cakes bring more texture and variety to the table.

The shark-fin-style shrimp dumplings are named for their classic shape and style, not for shark fin; they are made with shrimp. Baked barbecue-pork buns offer another contrast, with a browned, baked exterior instead of the soft white finish of a steamed bun.

This is a menu that rewards mixing textures. A tender dumpling, a crisp spring roll, a slippery rice-noodle roll and a savory steamed bun all do different jobs. With three or four people, it is easy to make a broad little survey without everyone needing to commit to one large entrée.

Save room for something sweet. Coconut jelly offers a cool finish after a table full of savory dishes, while sesame-seed balls bring a chewier, fried counterpoint. A dim sum meal does not need a formal dessert course, but these are easy additions when the cart appears.

Full Kee’s menu gives a mixed table more to work with than dumplings and roast meats. Gai lan, or Chinese broccoli, and bok choy with garlic bring clean, green relief among richer plates, while pea shoots make another vegetable choice worth ordering for the center of the table.

Vegetarian-minded diners have several possibilities, including seaweed salad, tofu with bok choy, vegetarian pan-fried noodles and turnip cakes. Those dishes also work well as supporting players in a larger group spread, where not every plate has to be built around meat.

Pan-fried noodles are especially useful in this style of meal. They add a substantial starch to share and can sit alongside vegetables, dumplings and roast meats without turning lunch into a one-note noodle order.

A hot holding case near the entrance displays roasted meats, including whole ducks and chickens. It is a direct preview of one of the restaurant’s major strengths, and it gives a visit an old-school Cantonese restaurant detail that is far more interesting than a generic host stand.

Roast duck is a standout order, juicy and full of flavor, with the kind of preparation diners expect from a serious Cantonese kitchen. Roast pork and roast chicken broaden the options for a table that wants to sample the full roast-meat side of the menu.

The roast selections work for takeout as well as a sit-down feast. Whole roasted duck orders can be paired with side dishes, creating a large-format meal that makes sense for a family dinner or a table already committed to leftovers.

Dim sum may bring people in during the day, but the broader Cantonese menu is reason enough to return at dinner. Seafood is a prominent part of the restaurant’s appeal, with live lobsters in a tank and a crab aquarium visible around the entrance or dining-room area.

For heartier dishes, the eggplant clay pot is a rich, well-seasoned choice, while braised beef brisket is notably tender. Beef with vegetables, beef noodles, Singapore-style noodles and shrimp fried rice give a group plenty of routes through the menu.

The dinner format suits family-style ordering. A rotating tabletop keeps serving dishes within reach, and a spread can move from roast duck to noodles to vegetables without anyone having to surrender their own plate. Large portions also make leftovers a normal outcome rather than a miscalculation.

Jasmine tea arrives with loose leaves visible in the cup, a small detail that fits the traditional pace of the place. It is useful between bites of roast meat and fried dishes, but it also gives the meal a reason not to rush.

A typical setting may include a teacup, plate, reusable chopsticks and a fork. That combination is practical for a varied group, especially one that includes confident chopstick users and diners who would rather alternate between utensils.

Near the entrance, a small shrine displays tea, sweet cakes and money. Along with the roast-meat case and the seafood tanks, it helps make the restaurant feel lived-in and specific, not designed to resemble every newer dining room in town.

Full Kee works best when the table is willing to share. Start with a few dim sum baskets, add a vegetable plate, choose a roast meat or noodle dish, and keep an eye on the carts. The meal can be modest or sprawling without changing its basic logic.

English-speaking diners can communicate comfortably with staff, and the restaurant has a free parking lot with plenty of spaces. Those practical details make it an easy meeting point for a lunch with friends, a family gathering or a takeout stop centered on roast meats.