Long Sing Reborn

Legendary Chinese barbecue restaurant returns with new home in Midtown

The closure of Long Sing Supermarket in July 2017 left a small hole in the city’s dining options. A reliable cheap lunch spot — and the only inner loop option for Cantonese-style Chinese barbecue — suddenly vanished.

Thankfully, Mimi and Cho Woo, the couple that owned and operated Long Sing for over 30 years, are back with a new restaurant to serve up the roast pork, roast duck, and char siu pork that earned wide acclaim. Now known as Siu Lap City, named for the Chinese word for “barbecue,” the new restaurant opened quietly this week at 2808 Milam, in the same shopping center as Pho Saigon and Luna y Sol Mexican Grill.

While the location may be new, the recipes are not. Anna Woo, the middle daughter of Mimi and Cho, explains the situation succinctly.

“Quality is our priority no matter what,” she tells CultureMap. “We just want to make sure everything tastes the same. That’s what keeps customers coming. Nothing’s changed, except for the location.”

Inside, the restaurant offers a counter service setup with a few tables for dining in, but most people will probably take their good to-go. The real magic happens in the back, where whole pigs and ducks are prepared for cooking.

While dishes like sweet and sour pork or barbecue spare ribs can be found at most Chinese restaurants around town, few focus specifically on barbecue the way Siu Lap does. Just like with Texas barbecue, preparing the meat properly requires specialized equipment and deep knowledge of seasoning and roasting techniques. For example, Siu Lap uses different ovens to roast pigs and ducks, which helps ensure that each protein get cooked properly every time.

In addition to the traditional siu lap dishes, the restaurant also serves sweet and sour pork, mapo tofu, and various organ dishes, including its popular beef tripe. An order of two meats served over rice costs about $8, which is a slight increase from the $7.25 at Long Sing, but is still a pretty serious value.

“We want customers to enjoy our food,” Anna Woo says. “We don’t want to be overpriced.”

Whether ordering a whole roast pig for a celebration or just grabbing a lunch plate to-go, Long Sing filled a vital role in Houston’s food community. Now that Siu Lap City has opened, the Woo family will continue to serve their signature dishes to another generation of Houstonians.

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Siu Lap City; 2808 Milam St., Suite F; Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 3 pm; 713-236-8171

Long Sing's Chinese barbecue has a new home.

Long Sing Supermarket/Facebook

Long Sing's Chinese barbecue has a new home.

openings news-you-can-eat

firing up Montrose

New Houston seafood restaurant adds live-fire flair to Japanese flavors

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

An ambitious new seafood restaurant is coming to Montrose next week. Casa Kenji will open on Tuesday, December 9.

Located in the former Andiron space (3201 Allen Pkwy), Casa Kenji is the first Houston project for New Orleans restaurateur Malachi DuPre, a former LSU standout who played briefly in the NFL before establishing Kenji and Kenji Kazoku restaurants in New Orleans. Together with former LSU teammate John “B-John” Ballis and Houston chef Bigler “Biggie” Cruz, Casa Kenji will blend Latin and Japanese influences while also incorporating live-fire elements into the restaurant’s dishes. Cruz, whose resume includes a lengthy stint at Uchi as well as working at critically acclaimed Houston seafood restaurant Golfstrømmen, tells CultureMap that Casa Kenji’s approach is the first time he can be himself in the kitchen.

“My perfect restaurant was always based on the live fire and sushi combination,” Cruz says. “My mom cooked with wood for my entire life. The live fire creates completely different flavors. The smoky flavors, the sear from the charcoal — they create a different type of memory for me.”

The use of live fire techniques will permeate Casa Kenji’s menus in ways both big and small. For example, diners will be able to feast on prawns grilled directly on charcoal and served with yuzu chili garlic, or savor lightly seared Japanese wagyu tataki paired with mushrooms. Even raw dishes will benefit from the restaurant’s wood-burning grill and stove.

“Every vegetable we peel, we make into an ash that’s a topping for the dishes. It adds a different layer of flavor,” Cruz says. Look for it in the scallop aguachile, among others.

Even vegetables get a smoky component, as in a cabbage dish that’s braised with dashi and soy sauce before being roasted and served with an onion soubise that Cruz says he developed based on techniques he learned from Golfstrømmen chef Christopher Haatuft.

“It’s rich, super savory, with smoky layers, and you get brightness from the shiso gremolata. I think it will be a signature dish for us,” the chef says.

One change to the interior is the addition of a six-seat omakase counter that looks into the kitchen. Cruz promises those diners will have an even more elevated experience than the restaurant’s regular menu, including ingredients such as Japanese wagyu and premium fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

Beyond its cuisine, Casa Kenji hopes to stand out with its spacious outdoor patio. Since very few Japanese-inspired restaurants in Houston offer outdoor seating, it should appeal to diners who want a little vitamin D along with their tuna crudo.

“We’re proud to showcase the craft and creativity that defines Casa Kenji,” co-founders Cruz, Ballis, and DuPre said in a statement. “With chef Bigler Cruz at the helm — blending live-fire technique with the discipline of Japanese tradition — we’re equally honored and excited to share a unique concept that is truly rooted in passion, culture, and community.”

Casa Kenji will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 4 pm. Reservations are available on Resy.

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.