New Hing Lung - Chinese, San Francisco

Best: Chinese (Cantonese), Value

1556 Noriega Street, San Francisco CA 94122
(415) 661-8860
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: January 2, 2011

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

On the recommendation of the Yeung family, connoisseurs of Cantonese cuisine, we've now been going to New Hing Lung for at least two or maybe even three years - that means dozens of visits. This left me a little perplexed as to why I've never written about it - maybe it's because I don't want there to be a line outside the next time I go or maybe it's just the sheer quantity of restaurants that I haven't written about that has helped me to procrastinate. Nevertheless, it's time to reveal this shining star.

The story behind New Hing Lung - about fifteen years ago, it's neighbor, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant, was one of the best Chinese restaurants in town - great food, great value, packed every weekend. The neighboring restaurant, now New Hing Lung, was known for being expensive in comparison and a little stuffy. I remember eating there long ago and the waitstaff hovered around our table. Every time we took a sip of tea, one of the wait staff whom were standing by our table filled my tea cup. I felt uncomfortable - what ever happened to personal space? Fast forward to more than a decade later, and now, the original owners of Jumbo have opened a restaurant further south. New Hing Lung is the place to go for fresh Cantonese style cuisine at an excellent value.

The menu boasts a wide selection. They have a menu offering more than 30 items at the low price of $5.50, and it's good quality stuff too. Items ranging from from Peking Spareribs to Dry Braised String Beans with Minced Pork are generous in portion and awesome in flavor. Those are two of my favorites from this list. There are also special daily seafood items available include fresh live fish and lobster that will satisfy even the most picky palate. Family style dinners are also available.

New Hing Lung isn't fancy. The two story dining area is pretty simple with a fish tank in the rear of the first story displaying the live fish and seafood. The walls list the specials on dry erase boards and paper. Each table is topped with paper placemats and paper napkins. However, it's authentic food. It's where we go for family gatherings, birthdays, bringing friends to try awesome food (especially if it's their first time eating Chinese food), and the food is the star of the show. There have been a lot of good memories here already in the short time we've been visiting.

If I began to write about everything that I've eaten here, it would take pages and pages of this blog. Instead, I'll just say that I like almost everything that I've ordered here.

If you don't order soup, New Hing Lung serves a homestyle soup that is usually made of a broth with fresh and dried vegetables. Today's soup contained carrots, soybeans, and Chinese dried herbs. It's a great way to start your meal and it's on the house.

- Deep Fried Crispy Garlic Chicken - This is another favorite. While they offer Deep Fried Crispy Chicken, which is more traditional, I find that the meat of this dish is juicier. Also, if you love those deep fried pieces of garlic, this dish offers plenty of that too. Crispy and delicious skin makes it even better. The photo is showing the chicken darker than it is in reality because of the lighting. I highly recommend ordering this over traditional Crispy Chicken. Half $7

- Hong Kong Style Beef Chow Mein - Noodles are fried and topped with stir fried beef and seasonal vegetables (in this case bok choy, straw mushrooms, and carrots) in a sauce. I love Hong Kong Style noodles because of the crispy texture. It's super fresh and just look at it - there is so much for such an inexpensive price. More than enough to feed one person so that you're full. Terrific - you can't ask for more than this. $5.50

- Mustard Greens with Black Mushrooms - While this dish isn't on the menu, you can find it in the family style dinners. A very typical item, it's representative of the typical Cantonese style of cooking and the freshness of the vegetables. There are a lot of people coming to the restaurant, so their produce gets a high turnover.

- Peking Spareribs - The flavors are sweet, the colors are vibrant, and the portions are good. Deep fried spareribs, almost the size of a pork chop, are then cooked in a sweet sauce. I like these a lot. $5.50

- Deep Fried Stuffed Tofu - This is really good when served hot. The tofu blocks are topped with shrimp paste and then deep fried until golden brown. The tofu consistency is so light and melt in your mouth that you'll want tofu made this way every time. $6

- Spiced Salt and Pepper Spareribs - Like the Peking Spareribs, these are also quite large, and they're deep fried with the salt and pepper seasoning. Jalapenos, red chilis, or whatever else in season is used to give a touch of spice. $5.50

- Fresh Fish Two Ways - One of the more expensive items on the menu, you can select live fish and select the two ways you would like them prepared. We typically select soup and stir fry. The fish is cooked in a simple broth with fresh vegetables, a preserved duck egg, and ginger. The fish bones are then separated from the soup and served with soy sauce and the delicate broth is served into bowls. It never fails - they make a great soup. The fish fillet is then stir fried with seasonal vegetables and served with the main meal. Excellent. Market Price

- Steamed Chicken with Ginger and Scallion - This is a simple dish, but the challenge is not overcooking the chicken. Great. Half $7

- Dry Braised String Beans with Minced Pork - Sometimes you order this dish at other places and find the string beans haven't been cooked properly. Here, the minced pork is cooked with spicy preserved mustard greens and the dry braised string beans are perfect. The combination of flavors and textures are slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and a little crunchy. If you're going to try this dish for the first time, New Hing Lung is a great place to get it. They are also able to make this spicy or not. $5.50

- Yang Chow Style Fried Rice - This is one of my go-to dishes. It's even better for lunch the next day. BBQ pork, whole shrimp, egg, peas, green onions, and carrots are stir-fried together. On occasion, the vegetables will be different, but the rice is separated from one another and lightly coated. Perfection. $5.50

- Fook Kin Fried Rice - Fried rice is topped with a white seafood sauce. This is great if you prefer a more moist version of rice and like a little shrimp and scallop with your dish. $7.50

- Hong Kong Style Beef Chow Fun - Another standard, the beef chow fun is simply good. Bean sprouts, green onion, onion, and beef are stir fried with chow fun noodles and soy sauce. Yummy. $5.50

- Deep Fried Sand Dab - While a Hong Kong native wouldn't be caught dead eating a fish that had been pre-frozen, here's where you can see American adaptation to Cantonese cuisine. A whole sand dab is lightly battered, deep fried, and served with chopped green onions and soy sauce. The meat is tender and falls off the bone. It's delicious. True fish connoisseurs can even eat all of the bones on the side and enjoy every piece of skin and tendon in between. You'll love the texture and flavor of this fish. $7

If you're not already satisfied with your main dishes, they end your meal with a free dessert. Typically, it's a warm red bean soup which is also traditional in that it balances out the savory food that you've had during your meal with something sweet. The beans are cooked in water, typically with lotus nuts, until they break apart and then sugar is added. I could probably spend an entire blog post on the art of soup, both savory and sweet, in reference to Chinese meals.

As mentioned earlier, if I were to write about everything we've eaten here, I could just go on and on. Those listed above are some of my favorites. You can't go wrong with them. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. And if you see me in line for a table, now that the secret is out, I hope you invite me to come sit down with you. We can order more and try even more dishes together.