I have not had takeout in quite some time. I finally decided, "You know what, get some takeout!" and I sat down and started looking at different delivery options. I have 2-3 "go to" amazing Asian places that I tend to stick to but I saw a new place: Cheng's Beijing. I decided to try something new and now I know (1) stick to what I love and (2) I will not be patronizing Cheng's Beijing again.
When one orders takeout you really are paying for several things: the food, the delivery fee (I used DoorDash and don't really complain about the fees, they're doing a service, but you do figure it costs several extra dollars for delivery fees), and then the delivery driver tips (my driver was amazing! love my delivery drivers!). So I spent quite a bit on three different items. And thus, I expect the food to at the very least be better than Panda Express.
Guess what: I found a place worse than Panda Express. Seriously!
For an appetizer, I always order crab puffs. I really think you can tell a lot about an Asian restaurant by their crab puffs. This place is on-par with pricing trends when it comes to their appetizers but the crab puffs themselves are the most disappointing crab puffs I have ever had. They are barely filled (if they are filled... I had two with absolutely nothing in them, they were just a nice little Asian chip). Other places stuff their crab puffs full. This place was ridiculous and barely put anything in them. What was in them had no real flavor... how could that be?
I ordered the sesame chicken because it is always a 'safe' choice when you're trying a new place out. I did see a gorgeous photograph of some sesame chicken that looks nicely battered and well sauced. What came in my delivery was the worst disappointment I've ever received. I snapped a photograph of the complete lack of sauce. I dug around the box, thinking maybe the sauce all settled at the bottom? No. There is just really no sauce on this. Which leads me to believe they make the chicken then add the sauce (not terrible, just kind of makes you go 'meh') but in this case of takeout they just really gave me no sauce to work with. They are on par in terms of pricing but the sesame was missing (looks nothing like they photograph, of course) and their portions are smaller than other places for similar pricing.
The main dish does come with a side of rice. I upgraded to the fried rice and what a waste of two dollars. The rice is okay, actually, but it doesn't even seem to have the nice 'brown' of a fried rice. Sigh.
The bao buns are actually the 'best' thing in the delivery. And with that being said they leave a lot to be desired. The pork filling inside doesn't have great flavor. It is "okay" but I would not go out of my way to get these again. Honestly, I've had much better from other places in Tucson.
Here is my honest review: I would not seek this restaurant out again. While I do believe the 'in person' experience is often a bit better than takeout, that does not mean that takeout should be so poorly crafted. I spent good money for food that the restaurant didn't even bother to finish, didn't bother to make well, and surely didn't 'care' to keep a customer. read more