With BBQ King in the City sang its swan song, a lot of people are now scrambling for a new BBQ place. Luckily, I have Cheung Sing, which is just nearby on Anzac Parade in Maroubra near the Bowen Library.
The truth is Cheung Sing BBQ House has been my favorite for years. There was once that I nearly scored a job at the Bowen Library, and I thought, ‘that would be marvellous for I can go to Cheung Sing every day!’. A friend of mine just lives upstairs and Cheung Sing is usually our dinner place before a Thursday or weekend gaming session.
So, what is so good about Cheung Sing? First of all, it is a BBQ House, so its roast items need to be very good. For me, I am not a big fan of roast duck, not that they are not good or I don’t eat them, but I am a lazy eater, so things with bones on them don’t usually go well with me. I judge the place on its BBQ pork and roast pork. Their BBQ pork are always right in proportion with fat, the degree of bbq’ness and sweetness – yes, I like my BBQ pork to carry a sweet taste despite I don’t have a sweet tooth. That’s me, so get over it. 😊 Cheung Sing always managed to keep that balance in check. I also like my BBQ pork to have a little bit of fat to keep it soft and juicy but not to a point of over greasy (some of my friends like half the fat but I probably prefer at the most up to a quarter), and Cheung Sing always managed to find something for me on the array of BBQ pork available. As for roast pork, most of the marks will go to the crackling. At a lot of places, the crackling on their roast pork are too hard, too dry or too greasy and chewy. But at Cheung Sing, the crackling is always crunchy enough with each bite but then just dissolves in your mouth leaving the nice after fragrance for you to finish the meat that neutralises the fat on the pork. Every bite was an enjoyment and every bite without failure makes me happier. Even better is that, sometimes I ordered so much that I couldn’t finish it, so I need to take the leftovers home. Even on the next day, when I light fried them to heat them back up on a fry pan, the crackling on the roast pork can still miraculously stay crunchy and fresh. For me that’s a representation of great roast pork quality.
Although Cheung Sing is a BBQ House, it sells a huge variety of food on its menu. It really reminds me of the neighbourhood restaurants in Hong Kong. Of course, I have my personal favorites like the Singaporean Noodle that you can’t find them in Singapore, the Beef Brisket with Vege and Steam Rice that they managed to make the briskets so tender every time in that yummy rich sauce, and the Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice that they managed to balance the fragrance and saltiness of the salted fish, so that you can taste the salted fish in every bite without getting over salty and overpowering, as the salted fish when too much, could stink. As for my friend who frequents the place with me, his favorites are always the Vietnamese noodle as he likes the freshness of the broth that adds sufficient flavour to the noodle without tasting artificial. I think he had ordered every variety of that Vietnamese noodle on the menu. Vietnamese and Chinese are not the only options on the menu, you can also find a variety of Laksa at Cheung Sing, although I personally have not tired them, as I was too busy sticking with my personal favorites (maybe I should expand my options now I think of it).
Cheung Sing is not just a place for individual rice or noodle dishes, you can also order standard dinner items for well, dinner and lunch. Some of my usual orders include the Tofu and Vege Hot Pot that always managed to keep the freshness of the vegetables in that flavoursome soup that came with it; Shang Dong Chicken, which is one of the few dishes I can take with bones as the chicken was deep fried properly that both the skin and bones are yummy, and the Eggplant and Mince Pot, which is great to go with steamed rice.
Cheung Sing BBQ House might not have the flashiest décor but a good Hong Kong BBQ House does not need that. All you need is good food that stays with you in your heart even days after you consumed it. Also, easy to park and access is another great advantage as the parking strip opposite to the place offers two hours free parking during the day and unlimited parking after 6pm. If you are working or studying at the Bowen Library, it is a good place to get to for a quick meal too, as service is quick and the staff members are very courteous and friendly.
If you want to find out more about Cheung Sing BBQ House, you can visit their website here.
