Cambodian Restaurant Heng Seng Noodles Opens in Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Anthony Huang and Pouv Track have run the unique Heng Seng restaurant in South Philly since 1989. Earlier this month, their three kids got here collectively to open Heng Seng Noodles (1467 Brace Highway), a restaurant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, that can stick with it their household legacy.

The siblings — Sarah, 28 years previous, Annie, 26, and Lange, 25 — initially talked about opening a espresso store. After they introduced it as much as their father, he talked about he’d all the time needed to develop his restaurant.

“I couldn’t think about a world the place my dad and mom needed to shut down their store to retire and the meals didn’t exist anymore,” Sarah mentioned. The plan is for the siblings to ultimately run each eating places. For now, although, the South Philly location is closed because the dad and mom pitch in to get the brand new one up and operating.

To honor their dad and mom, they determined to make use of the identical restaurant title, hoping folks would acknowledge it. The response has been overwhelming, Sarah mentioned. The Cambodian neighborhood in South Jersey has grown lately, particularly since Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple opened in Voorhees.

Within the first few days of enterprise, Sarah mentioned she was always operating to the again to inform her dad and mom considered one of their previous prospects was there and needed to say good day. Throughout their first week, the restaurant was so busy they needed to shut for a day to arrange for the second week.

“It’s change into like a complete reunion,” she mentioned. “It’s actually magical and so candy.”

The Huang siblings have introduced a lot of their dad and mom’ hottest dishes to the brand new restaurant, together with favorites just like the dry noodles — a dish Sarah mentioned typically confuses folks unfamiliar with the delicacies.

“Think about a noodle soup with out the soup,” she defined. “The noodles have our home particular soy sauce with pork and seafood, and you then get a aspect of soup to slurp alongside.” A part of the enchantment, she added, is that everybody can gown their noodles a little bit otherwise, selecting from an array of condiments.

Along with noodles and soups, Sarah mentioned they’ve added a bigger choice of appetizers than what their dad and mom usually serve. Impressed by the recognition of the Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park, they’ve included dishes which can be beloved there, akin to grilled beef skewers, shrimp tempura, and bok lahong — a spicy papaya salad with string beans and Thai eggplant.

“We’ve been getting numerous compliments on our papaya salad,” Sarah mentioned. “Everybody makes it a little bit completely different, however we’ve been listening to that ours is de facto flavorful due to the fermented fish and crab paste.”

Leaning into the siblings’ unique espresso store thought, Heng Seng Noodles additionally presents a signature menu of drinks. “We had been impressed by Càphê Roasters and their drink menu,” Sarah mentioned. “We’re utilizing their Vietnamese mix.”

Among the many signature drinks is the pandan espresso, made with the tropical plant beloved in Southeast Asian desserts for its earthy, vanilla-like taste. Sarah mentioned she and her siblings are particularly happy with the pandan chilly foam they’ve developed. In the end, although, their satisfaction lies in carrying on a household legacy that has meant a lot to so many through the years.

“There are such a lot of households who’ve come for generations,” Sarah mentioned. “So we had been all on board with persevering with this household legacy and the custom of the noodle store.”

Heng Seng Noodles