By Brett Callwood
There’s a Heng Heng Chicken Rice location in Los Angeles, but it’s the second (referred to online as Heng Heng Chicken Rice 2) just over in Hawthorne that we tried.
“We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to your home to great combination of Thai dishes,” they say online. “We serve only the freshest and finest ingredients. Here at Heng Heng Chicken Rice 2 Restaurant, you will experience the liveliness and excitement of our exhibition kitchen. Our extraordinary fast and friendly wait staff wishes to make your visit to us an unforgettable event. You could view our menu and online order ahead – no hassle.”
That’s all true; the wait staff are fast and friendly, and the ingredients are quality. Arguably more importantly, what they do with those ingredients is practically sorcery. As the name suggests, this specializes in various styles of chicken, but also serves fish and pork belly. Similarly, they’re understandably proud of their rice but you can get fries if you prefer.
With two of the family eating here, we tried two different meals and neither disappointed us. Their Fish and Chips is mysteriously listed under appetizers, despite it clearly being a full meal. We’re not sure who could eat the Fish and Chips, and then move onto something from the entree section of the menu. We certainly couldn’t.
It’s important to note that the “fish” in question is cod. This writer being English, it’s increasingly frustrating to get fish and chips in the U.S. and be presented with tilapia. That freshwater fish is easily obtained here, and so it is often served in place of better tasting fish.
For fish and chips to be anything close to authentic, the fish needs to be either cod or haddock. Here, the cod is meaty and juicy, while the batter is crisp and perfect. The “chips” are standard fries but we’ll let that go. The fish is excellent.
We also got the Zaab Crispy Chicken–fried chicken in a spiced breadcrumb, served on a bed of garlic rice. This too is superb. The chicken isn’t overcooked, and it retains its tender texture. The breading is magnificent. Spiced and seasoned to perfection, it really brings the poultry to life (though not literally).
The garlic rice is delicious too. Both dishes came with a brothy soup that was very comforting for this time of year.
Overall, Heng Heng got everything right.
Heng Heng Chicken Rice is located at 3255 Rosecrans Ave., Hawthorne 90250. Contact 424-374-8051 or visit henghengchickenricetogo.com.
