Heng Seng Noodles Opens Cambodian Restaurant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey | Eater Philly
"Opened earlier this month at 1467 Brace Road in Cherry Hill, New Jersey by the three Huong siblings — Sarah, 28, Annie, 26, and Lange, 25 — this new restaurant is meant to carry on the family legacy started by their parents, Anthony Huong and Pouv Song, who have run the original South Philly spot since 1989; the South Philly location is temporarily closed while the parents pitch in to get the new one up and running. When the siblings first proposed opening a coffee shop, their father mentioned he’d always wanted to expand, and Sarah captured the motivation plainly: "I couldn’t imagine a world where my parents had to close down their shop to retire and the food didn’t exist anymore," Sarah said. The response to the new location was immediate and overwhelming — during the first week they were so busy they had to close for a day to prepare for the second week — and, as Sarah put it, "It’s become like a whole reunion," she said. "It’s really magical and so sweet." The menu brings many of the parents’ most popular dishes, including the dry noodles: "Imagine a noodle soup without the soup," she explained. "The noodles have our house special soy sauce with pork and seafood, and then you get a side of soup to slurp alongside." Diners can personalize the dish with an array of condiments. In addition to noodles and soups, the siblings expanded the appetizer selection to include items beloved at the Southeast Asian Market at FDR Park, such as grilled beef skewers, shrimp tempura, and bok lahong — described as a spicy papaya salad with string beans and Thai eggplant. "We’ve been getting a lot of compliments on our papaya salad," Sarah said. "Everyone makes it a little different, but we’ve been hearing that ours is really flavorful because of the fermented fish and crab paste." Leaning into their original coffee-shop idea, they also offer a signature drink menu: "We were inspired byCàphê Roastersand their drink menu," Sarah said. "We’re using their Vietnamese blend." Among the signatures is a pandan coffee with a pandan cold foam the siblings developed. Ultimately, the project is about continuity: "There are so many families who’ve come for generations," Sarah said. "So we were all on board with continuing this family legacy and the tradition of the noodle shop." - Maddy Sweitzer-Lamme
