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.

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Stay trill, owls

Bun B serves up smash hit smash burgers at Houston's Rice University

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Bun B is bringing Trill Burgers to Rice University.

Faculty, students, and staff at Rice University will have a fresh new dining option when classes resume for the fall semester. Trill Burgers will open its fourth Houston-area location on campus beginning Monday, August 17.

Located at the Rice Memorial Center, the new Trill Burgers will serve the restaurant’s signature smash burgers, which are available in either beef or vegan versions. That starts with the OG Trill Burger, made with two smashed beef patties, pickles, caramelized onions, Trill Sauce, and American cheese on a Martin’s potato roll. A vegan version uses plant-based smashed patties, vegan sauce, and vegan cheese. Burgers will be sold individually or as a combo with fries and a drink. Students will be able to use their campus dining dollars (Tetra) to purchase their meals.

Bun B, a Houston hip-hop legend and co-founder of Trill Burgers, has long had ties to Rice University. In 2011, 2013, and 2015, he served as a distinguished lecturer, co-teaching Religion and Hip-Hop Culture with Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of the Humanities.

“This is truly full circle for me,” Bun B said in a statement. “To bring this brand to Rice University where I once taught is a major moment for Trill Burgers and for myself.”

In addition to Trill Burgers, Rice is also home to locations of breakfast favorite Dandelion Cafe and salad and sandwich concept Local Foods Market.

“We are excited to build upon this long-standing relationship while giving the Rice community an authentic taste of Houston,” Beth Leaver, Rice’s assistant vice president of housing, dining, and hospitality, added. “Trill Burgers brings a distinctive and celebrated part of Houston’s culinary culture to the Rice campus. I am often asked about adding a great burger option, and this partnership fills an important gap in our dining portfolio.”

While the restaurant is open to the general public, its proximity to the original Trill Burgers location (3607 S. Shepherd Dr.) means it will likely appeal primarily to people who are already on campus. Initially, the restaurant will be open from 11 am-5 pm.

Opening at Rice comes at a time of continued growth for Trill Burgers. In December, the restaurant opened in Missouri City. It is expected to open a new location at Westheimer and Hillcroft (7616 Westheimer Rd.) as soon as this month.

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