New Hing Lung Restaurant
1556 Noriega Street
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 661-8860
Prices ($8 and up)
Lunch: 10am-2pm
Dinner: 5pm-10pm

Since opening in 2000, New Hing Lung continues to serve neighborhood cooking at value pricing. One step into the one hundred thirty seat restaurant, I am greeted with a big smile from owner Larry Chen. Despite being surrounded by numerous dining options on Noriega restaurant row, this cozy restaurant has a few elements that set them apart.

Ambiance. Once I order my choice of tea, I immediately notice the high ceiling, Asian lacquer art work, and yellow wall lights that reflect off the white wall. During lunch on the weekdays, you can often find a consistent crowd of neighborhood patrons from construction workers to retired folks.

Budget Dishes. After ordering my tea selection, a piping hot bowl of house soup arrives. The full bodied soup replenishes the body and prepares the palate for the meal. Each day, the house soup selection differs depending on the freshness of vegetables and herbs available. In the Cantonese cuisine, soup serves to heal the body and some ingredients claim to have medicinal effects.

Similar to most Chinese restaurants, the mile long menu can be overwhelming. While the fresh seafood tempts my palate, I often direct my attention to their plethora of budget dishes at $5.50. With a rich savory oyster base, the minced beef over spinach is a great dish especially served with pillowy rice. There are two favorite comfort food dishes: scrambled egg with bitter melon and beef with tomatoes. With cooling note from the melon, the scrambled eggs makes a great pairing. Wok - fried sweet tomatoes balance slices of savory beef.

Similar to a meatloaf, the savory steamed pork hash with salted duck eggs adds to my appetite. With a pungent earth tone, the black mushrooms pairs with steamed chicken. For a sweet and sour dish, the pork chop and egg plant does the trick. A fusion flair is displayed in the sweet corn with fish fillet. Served with a thick sauce, the sweet corn enhances the bland tender fish fillets. My favorite dish is the fish fillet tofu (logs of tofu with fish in savory oyster sauce). For that night, I ordered two dishes and drank a few bowls of soup. The total including tip was $15.

Starting off as a bus boy, owner Larry Chen has been in the restaurant business since he was twenty years old. Chen understands and applies the few keys in hospitality taught by his owner and mentor while he was the manager at Hing Lung in the Park on 19th Avenue. One major key point Chen shared is to answer any customer complaint by answering “no problem.” Despite being frustrated with customers at times, Chen emphasized that the key is to stay clam. When this occurs, he would smile and fix any customers problems.

Quickly, he would then dash to kitchen to vent about his frustration to the kitchen staff. Chen also shared that applying kindness toward his staff is vital to his success. When he eats with his kitchen staff after a long day of work, he converses with them and ask the staff about their children and person life as a sign of respect. When he hires a new waiter, he gives them a one week working period to see if they are fit for the job.

While juggling the hectic schedule as a restaurant owner and being a father to three daughters, the help from his wife Karen, who manages the finances, has provided great assistance. Despite working from 10am to 11pm daily, Chen enjoys his life as a restaurateur and his jovial spirit affirms this.