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Cheng's Kitchen on Route 31, Pennington, NJ, took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting anything more than a run of the mill Chinese takeout house with maybe a little space for those who prefer to eat when the food is right from the wok. They did look like most of the others, with standard fare, lunch specials and a side dining room, but where they stood apart was the quality of the meals themselves. I ordered General Tso's Chicken when I arrived around 3:10 PM. First, the owner had no problem honoring the lunch prices, despite my late entrance. Second, the meal was of a higher quality than found at such places. The chicken seemed fresher. The sauce was just prepared for me and had a very good taste. They even threw in a few Szechuan small red peppers to provide the extra heat I requested. The breading was thin, allowing for the texture of the bird, and full flavor of the deep red amber sauce to shine on the tongue. Sure, the fried rice was colored by the bouillon dye, but even that was surprisingly tasty and full of pork and veggies. Of course, the ubiquitous broccoli florets were mandatory, but fresh, a beautiful green, and more plentiful than found in almost any other shop I have visited. Too, they had eliminated egg rolls or soup as part of the package, but given how good the General was, I did not mind foregoing those accessories in favor of better primary ingredients. At $8 and change with a bottle of water, it was a very good deal. Thanks for renewing my faith in Chinese American fast food, Mr. Cheng.
My work colleagues and I over the years ended up calling this place "Cheap Chinese". We have been going here for over 10 years although I have just returned back for the first time in about 6 years. This tiny hole in the wall has a special place deep in my heart. The lady who runs the front is rock solid, a real sweet heart. She'll fire off questions back to you like a machine gun. The order is always right. The decor is, yes, cheap, but acceptable, and for today's visit all the light bulbs were on. Plus they must have scrubbed the walls clean. It is bright in the dining room now, something, if I remember correctly, that was missing previously. The main dish everyone I know comes here for are the Hunan spicy wonton appetizer. Those soft puffy little orbs of rice pasta filled with cooked pork, ginger and scallions, bathed in a pool of slightly spicy soy sauce. Still the best around! Still pleasing. Today I had the shrimp with vegetables, side of pork fried rice and egg drop soup. The soup was ok. The shrimp and veg was delicious and a good size portion. The fried rice was good. My friend had General Chicken and reported it to be good. All the food came out piping hot. My lunch was 7.50! Now that is cheap Chinese! Back again on 06/02 for a spicy wonton fix and an egg roll. So good!
If I could give this place zero stars I would. It was the worse Chinese I've ever had. I just ordered house special, chicken wings, and generals chicken. Ended up throwing Aeverything out. The soup is inedible, everything had a really funky rotten smell and tasted terrible. Even the white rice was bad. How do you mess up white rice. This place should be close. I will never go there again.
Had to meet some returning family at nearby airport and decided to have an early dinner here. A huge mistake. Ordered the General Tso chicken and walked to the "dining room." What I encountered was the filthiest restaurant eating space I have ever been in. Dirty, filthy tables and floors along with stained and soiled chairs. Disgusting. Probably has never been cleaned. The food was below par on all levels. Void of flavor and customary heat.
11 years ago
10 years ago
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