Long Sing Supermarket’s barbecue counter is reincarnated as a standalone restaurant, offering great Chinese barbecue and a good value to midtown diners.

2808 Milam St Suite F, Houston, TX 77006
(713) 236-8171
Website

9:30am–6pm Mon–Fri; 9:00am–6pm Sat; closed Sunday

The newly opened Siu Lap City offers a variety of siu mei dishes in a cafeteria-style setup, reincarnating the popular barbecue counter from the (permanently closed) Long Sing Supermarket as a stand-alone restaurant. As relative newcomers to Houston, we never tried Long Sing’s food, but as fans of all sorts of Chinese food, we eagerly awaited Siu Lap’s opening in the strip mall that includes our favorite Houston bar (Khon’s), so we made a beeline after the holidays.

The posted menus on the wall near the entrance list prices by the pound for meats such as roasted pork and pork belly, and also advertises whole cooked animals in the form of roasted duck, Peking duck, steamed and soy sauce chicken, and even whole pigs. The popular lunch specials consist of one or two meats, a vegetable, and rice. In a style reminiscent of old school Texas “order-at-the-pit” barbecue joints like Cooper’s in Llano, the customer considers a glass case loaded with well-lit roasted meats hanging from hooks, plus steam-table trays full of assorted delicacies: stewed chicken, tripe and other organs, fried pork ribs, and (on our visit), an entire roasted pig’s head. Unlike a visit to Cooper’s, the only sticker shock is a pile of quality Chinese barbecue racking up such a tiny bill.

Two-item lunch special (duck & pork belly: $7.95): The grande version of Siu Lap City’s lunch special includes a generous helping of two meats, a simple vegetable (three were available on our visit), and fried or steamed rice, plus complimentary hot tea—a massive bargain at just under $8. We selected roasted duck and pork belly, plus baby bok choy and fried rice, and nodded “yes” to a ladling of duck sauce (essentially, a thin gravy of meat drippings) and a spoonful of chili oil. The meats were moist and decadently fatty, and the pork belly in particular offered a wonderful range of textures between the crunchy skin and thick layer of unctuous fat. The duck was delicious as well. The rice had a light seasoning reminiscent of curry, and the bok choy offered a crunchy vegetal life raft in a deluge of hardcore cholesterol bombs and oily fried rice. This is not health food by any stretch of the imagination, but it is an amazing lunch for the price, and you can guarantee hunger will remain a stranger for the rest of the day. If your appetite is light, it would be wise to share with a friend, or better, opt for the one-item deal.

One-item lunch special (roast pork stew: $5.95): For two dollars less, you receive one meat and smaller portions of the rice and veg. This time we picked some glistening roast pork stew from the steam table, sticking with the fried rice and bok choy. Although the crispy skin we loved so much from the pork belly was sacrificed for extra moistness, the simple stew offered luxurious, soft-textured pork fat and extra consolation in the form of a hard-cooked duck egg with more yolk than white. Truthfully, this should be plenty enough food for most diners, but the temptation to spend only a couple more dollars to go on a deeper tour of their meat counter requires steel-plated resolve.

We give Siu Lap City top marks and plan to return frequently. This restaurant delivers the goods in spades: a tempting variety of delicious siu mei meats at great prices in a convenient (for us, anyway) midtown location. We have heard reports of big crowds and lines at lunchtime, but the scene was fairly relaxed when we went. Hit it ASAP if this is your thing.