Cheng Heng
$ - inexpensive
Cambodian
Cambodian food at low prices
Cheng Heng is located in a building which shares a space with a jewelry store and a now-defunct clothing store, all of which are owned by the same family that owns the restaurant.
The restaurant has an excellent selection of veg*n options, and the staff is very helpful in determining what is and is not veg*n. If you're going for the first time, ask to see the picture menu, which is a fun way to get an idea of what the dishes look like.
Added by Dave Rolsky on Oct 31 02 (updated Jan 28 04)
Reviews
Update: I'm changing my rating from 5 to 3 - the last time we went the service was extremely slow and I tried several dishes but none of them were very good. There's a coconut juice drink with sugar water and tapioca pearls and agar strips that was fun for $2 dollars - it makes an unusual and fun desert.
This place gets an extremely average vote from me. Nothing about it seemed particularly wonderful or terrible, it was just an average place. The food was okay, they had enough vegan options, the prices were fine. I just don't have much to say about it one way or the other. The young coconut drink was too bitter for me, and you can consider that fair warning. They deep fry their tofu, and I just don't like my tofu crispy on the outside and runny on the inside, so be warned about that, too.
This is a very good restaurant. The atmosphere is really friendly and there are many vegetarian options. It also can be very, very cheap if you want it to be. My boyfriend and I spent less than $10 total and both received very satisfying meals in which we could not finish. I definitely recommend Cheng Heng.
You must try the Chha Kroeng (with tofu), which is stir-fry of tofu, onions, green bell peppers, in a strong gingery/garlicy/curry sauce with crushed peanuts. Yum!
For the (overly) picky, it's worth noting that if you order vegetarian spring rolls, they're probably taking pre-made spring rolls with shrimp, pulling the shrimp out, and serving it to you. This doesn't bother me much, except when a little piece of shrimp shell is left in. But if this is something that would freak you out, skip the spring rolls.
If you order a young coconut to drink, you get a coconut with one end hacked off, along with a straw to drink the juice, and a spoon to scrape out the soft insides. This is quite a treat if you've never had coconut juice before. It is not at all like the coconut flavors found in things like western-style cakes or candy bars, as it's much lighter and less sweet.
They also have some vegan desserts, including one made from sticky rice, coconut milk and dried fruit.
I just remembered how much I absolutely looooooove this place when I went there last night with friends. Aw man, if only it were in Minneapolis I think I'd try to go everyday. Cheng Heng is one of those places where you just can't decide whether to try something new that sounds delicious or just stick with your regular delicious favorites. I love the rice noodle dish Loth Cha (spelling?). The noodles are like wonderful, chewy little larva. (No, really, it's awesome.) One of my dining companions ordered a soup with "clear broth" rather than "chicken broth" which I didn't even know was possible. And who doesn't love drinking coconut milk right out of a young coconut. I love you Cheng Heng!
Now, when we were there last night (a Friday) it was super busy. Although we were seated right away it took a while for our food to come. And the last entree arrived like 15 minutes after the 1st. But really, I don't even care about this. The food is so good, it still gets a 10 in my book.