2339 Noriega St, San Francisco CA 94122
(415) 665-3271
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open Daily 9am to 9pm
Last Visited (dine in): March 11, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $
Cheung Hing seems to have a line out the door no matter the time of day. It’s a small place with dark gray industrial tiles on the floor, a meat and Chinese deli counter to the right, and a few tables for diners to the left. The big glass window in the front displays the roasted barbeque ducks and running chicken hanging in the window. On display on the counter is the many varieties of cooked dishes from chow mein to fried rice to beef with broccoli and more.
The ongoing line is waiting for the fresh Hong Kong style barbecue that Cheung Hing delivers. This type of food is difficult to cook at home since the equipment isn’t available and it’s a lot of work to roast an entire pig. People typically purchase the items by weight or box depending on the item and take them home to enjoy. They’re also great for taking to parties.
The few tables in the room are very cozy to its neighbors. The room has gotten a new coat of paint and the décor is now blue and peach. The tablecloths are gone and we’re back to the plastic table top, but that’s probably better than the picnic style tablecloths previously.
Cheung Hing doesn’t specialize in ambiance. It’s about excellent food at extremely reasonable prices. A delicious and enjoyable meal for anyone willing to give it a chance.
- Shrimp Won Ton Noodles – Available with thick or thin noodles, six shrimp wontons arrive over noodles in a flavorful broth. A few chopped scallions top the bowl of soup noodles. The noodles themselves aren’t actually thick so much as wide, but in Chinese, thick and wide is pretty much synonymous when it comes to noodle description. Everyone just knows what it means. We usually get the thin noodles, since thin noodles are more traditional style. The won tons are filled with a mixture shrimp and pork and are good even on their own without the noodles. The noodles are al dente and the broth is great. Excellent in 2004 and 2005. My most recent 2006 visit seemed to find only good tasting noodles – not as al dente as I have become accustomed to and somehow not as flavorful, but still good, especially at this price. $3.55
All barbecue items are available on their own as an entree, over rice, or by weight. You can also put two items over rice if you prefer, but then the portion of meat will be adjusted accordingly.
- Roast Pork over Rice – A portion of the roasted pig is cut into pieces and placed over rice. You can see the entire roasted pig hanging over the counter, and they cut each piece as it is sold for takeout at the deli or for your entrée. Today’s roast pork was certainly in one of my top ten. The skin of the roast pork was golden brown and very crisp. The meat was tender, juicy, and succulent with superb flavor. There is a little bit of fat between the skin and meat, so you just need to know that since they serve it as it without doctoring it, you’ll need to remove it yourself. Some people like roasted young suckling pig, but when you can have roast pork like this, you won’t even need to try roasted suckling pig. Excellent! $4.35
- Roast Duck over Rice – A quarter of a roasted duck is placed over rice and cooked cabbage (or lettuce depending on when you go). The cabbage has been cooked such that it has soaked up the flavor of the meat, so it’s just delicious. The roast duck was also excellent. It had been cooked to take on a beautiful rich cherry color. Much like the roast pork, you’ll find that there are a few pieces that may be fatty, but it’s just how this dish is served – part of the culture. Most pieces are meaty, but there are those few where you’ll just be able to enjoy only the roast duck skin. The rice soaks in the juice of the roast duck and is also enjoyable. Excellent flavor. $3.95
- Beef Chow Mein over Hong Kong Style Crispy Noodles - Slices of beef are sautéed with straw mushrooms, carrots, and baby bok choy in a sauce and placed over crispy noodles. Unlike regular chow mein, Hong Kong Style Crispy Noodles are typically deep fried or pan fried to a golden brown making them crispy. The flavor of the chow mein is different and also thin chow mein noodles are used rather than thicker noodles. There was a bit more sauce than desirable in this dish, but overall, it was still very good. $4.45
- Beef Chow Fun – Chow fun is pan fried with slices of beef in a light soy sauce. Bean sprouts, onions, and green onions accompany the chow fun. The flavor is good and the food arrives with good heat from the wok that stays with the dish. Good. $3.95
- Stuffed Deep Fried Tofu – Seven large triangles of firm tofu with a bit of meat stuffing in the base of the triangle are deep fried until golden brown. The triangles are then plated and served with a slightly spicy thick sauce. The tofu was fried well, but there was little stuffing. The flavor of the starch based sauce was lacking, and this dish alone would only receive 2 to 3 stars despite the value. Skip this dish unless you just happen to have tofu on your must eat list. $5.65
- Vegetables – We ordered Chinese broccoli during my 2006 visit and found the greens to be fresh and flavorful. It’s a simple cooking method of boiling in the noodle broth and topping with oyster sauce. However, it’s the broth that makes the vegetables good. They cut the broccoli neatly and place it on a plate. At dim sum restaurants, the same quantity and quality would run you about 1.5 times the price of what it is here. Great. $4.30
Any of the barbecued items or even deli items for that matter are terrific (although once in a while, the cut is a bit fatty which was true this last visit, so I dropped the food rating from four stars to the three to four range). Presentation of food isn’t as neat as it could be, but considering the excellent value, this shouldn’t deter you. Be adventurous. If you can get past the atmosphere (think of it as a hole in the wall), you’re sure to enjoy Cheung Hing. It’s one of the best places in town for this style of food, especially if you're planning take out!
(415) 665-3271
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open Daily 9am to 9pm
Last Visited (dine in): March 11, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $
Cheung Hing seems to have a line out the door no matter the time of day. It’s a small place with dark gray industrial tiles on the floor, a meat and Chinese deli counter to the right, and a few tables for diners to the left. The big glass window in the front displays the roasted barbeque ducks and running chicken hanging in the window. On display on the counter is the many varieties of cooked dishes from chow mein to fried rice to beef with broccoli and more.
The ongoing line is waiting for the fresh Hong Kong style barbecue that Cheung Hing delivers. This type of food is difficult to cook at home since the equipment isn’t available and it’s a lot of work to roast an entire pig. People typically purchase the items by weight or box depending on the item and take them home to enjoy. They’re also great for taking to parties.
The few tables in the room are very cozy to its neighbors. The room has gotten a new coat of paint and the décor is now blue and peach. The tablecloths are gone and we’re back to the plastic table top, but that’s probably better than the picnic style tablecloths previously.
Cheung Hing doesn’t specialize in ambiance. It’s about excellent food at extremely reasonable prices. A delicious and enjoyable meal for anyone willing to give it a chance.
- Shrimp Won Ton Noodles – Available with thick or thin noodles, six shrimp wontons arrive over noodles in a flavorful broth. A few chopped scallions top the bowl of soup noodles. The noodles themselves aren’t actually thick so much as wide, but in Chinese, thick and wide is pretty much synonymous when it comes to noodle description. Everyone just knows what it means. We usually get the thin noodles, since thin noodles are more traditional style. The won tons are filled with a mixture shrimp and pork and are good even on their own without the noodles. The noodles are al dente and the broth is great. Excellent in 2004 and 2005. My most recent 2006 visit seemed to find only good tasting noodles – not as al dente as I have become accustomed to and somehow not as flavorful, but still good, especially at this price. $3.55
All barbecue items are available on their own as an entree, over rice, or by weight. You can also put two items over rice if you prefer, but then the portion of meat will be adjusted accordingly.
- Roast Pork over Rice – A portion of the roasted pig is cut into pieces and placed over rice. You can see the entire roasted pig hanging over the counter, and they cut each piece as it is sold for takeout at the deli or for your entrée. Today’s roast pork was certainly in one of my top ten. The skin of the roast pork was golden brown and very crisp. The meat was tender, juicy, and succulent with superb flavor. There is a little bit of fat between the skin and meat, so you just need to know that since they serve it as it without doctoring it, you’ll need to remove it yourself. Some people like roasted young suckling pig, but when you can have roast pork like this, you won’t even need to try roasted suckling pig. Excellent! $4.35
- Roast Duck over Rice – A quarter of a roasted duck is placed over rice and cooked cabbage (or lettuce depending on when you go). The cabbage has been cooked such that it has soaked up the flavor of the meat, so it’s just delicious. The roast duck was also excellent. It had been cooked to take on a beautiful rich cherry color. Much like the roast pork, you’ll find that there are a few pieces that may be fatty, but it’s just how this dish is served – part of the culture. Most pieces are meaty, but there are those few where you’ll just be able to enjoy only the roast duck skin. The rice soaks in the juice of the roast duck and is also enjoyable. Excellent flavor. $3.95
- Beef Chow Mein over Hong Kong Style Crispy Noodles - Slices of beef are sautéed with straw mushrooms, carrots, and baby bok choy in a sauce and placed over crispy noodles. Unlike regular chow mein, Hong Kong Style Crispy Noodles are typically deep fried or pan fried to a golden brown making them crispy. The flavor of the chow mein is different and also thin chow mein noodles are used rather than thicker noodles. There was a bit more sauce than desirable in this dish, but overall, it was still very good. $4.45
- Beef Chow Fun – Chow fun is pan fried with slices of beef in a light soy sauce. Bean sprouts, onions, and green onions accompany the chow fun. The flavor is good and the food arrives with good heat from the wok that stays with the dish. Good. $3.95
- Stuffed Deep Fried Tofu – Seven large triangles of firm tofu with a bit of meat stuffing in the base of the triangle are deep fried until golden brown. The triangles are then plated and served with a slightly spicy thick sauce. The tofu was fried well, but there was little stuffing. The flavor of the starch based sauce was lacking, and this dish alone would only receive 2 to 3 stars despite the value. Skip this dish unless you just happen to have tofu on your must eat list. $5.65
- Vegetables – We ordered Chinese broccoli during my 2006 visit and found the greens to be fresh and flavorful. It’s a simple cooking method of boiling in the noodle broth and topping with oyster sauce. However, it’s the broth that makes the vegetables good. They cut the broccoli neatly and place it on a plate. At dim sum restaurants, the same quantity and quality would run you about 1.5 times the price of what it is here. Great. $4.30
Any of the barbecued items or even deli items for that matter are terrific (although once in a while, the cut is a bit fatty which was true this last visit, so I dropped the food rating from four stars to the three to four range). Presentation of food isn’t as neat as it could be, but considering the excellent value, this shouldn’t deter you. Be adventurous. If you can get past the atmosphere (think of it as a hole in the wall), you’re sure to enjoy Cheung Hing. It’s one of the best places in town for this style of food, especially if you're planning take out!
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