Asian food is a go-to for many Brits - and for good reason.
Joining the then-new Trinity Market in June 2019, Cheng & Chen is coming up to five years at the market - making it one of the longest-running vendors. Owned by husband and wife Philip Cheng and Lucy Chen - the pair juggle this booming stall with their Keyingham Chinese Takeaway.
Hull Live decided to pop down to have a try.
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Once again on my visit to Trinity, the place was thriving. No empty units, every shutter was up and there werequeues for all the different cuisines. Whenever I've walked by Cheng and Chen in the past, there has always been one of the longest queues in the entire food court, but I seemingly beat the rush and was the first person at the counter.
I was greeted with a lovely smile as I looked up at the menu. Malaysian fried rice, pad thai, Korean fried chicken - it really is a taste of multiple different Eastern Asian styles. I was with someone who has worked around the corner from Trinity Market for going on 12 years, and has tried out everything to come, go and stay in the market - and rated Cheng & Chen's really highly.
I know its not exactly adventurous, but something that I am such a big sucker for is salt and pepper anything; squid, chips, ribs you name it. A box of salt & pepper chips and chicken on the menu was something that I was told was pretty new, and I just couldn't turn that down. £8.80 sounded a little steep, but could be justified if it was up to scratch.
I was handed a buzzer to let me know when my scran was ready. As I turned away, a queue had seemingly appeared out of thin air while I was ordering. Behind the person serving you could see all the orders getting made to order - always a good sign from a street vendor. Just a few minutes later, I got the buzz and was given my box.
I could smell the spices even before lifting the lid - as could the person I was with as they tucked into their own lunch. Inside were plenty of small chunks of fried chicken, and spiced skinny-cut fries. Sometimes when you get boxes like these from other places, they'll overdo the chips to mask a lack of meat - but this wasn't the case.
The chips were fresh out - and crispy. The S&P flavours I knew were already good from here. The chicken came in small chunks - and still steaming and delicious. While the taste was still bob on, I was half regretting not getting any sauce to give a bit of moisture. The problem with salt and pepper seasoning is that they can make things a little dry - but Cheng & Chen find a good balance where it keeps its taste without giving you the driest mouth possible.
I can see why I was recommended this place - while I was sceptical about the price at first, I think that I was given a sufficient amount of scran - at a very good standard - to justify paying that much.
