Hing Loon is similar to many Chinese restaurants in the International District in appearance, but I think the quality of food stands out above many of the rest. The menu is quite large, but this is not enough for the proprietors, who seem to constantly creating new dishes and posting them on the wall. These are not items that are included on the typical lunch menu or buffet, but seem to be well representative of the type of food that would be found in China.

I had heard that the Congee (rice soup) was one of the better items, so I tried the one with cod as an appetizer. It was much too large to be an appetizer, and I could not eat all of it. The flavor of the soup was so delicous, though, that I wanted to eat as much as I could. I had eaten several others that had a strong ginger taste like this one, but the one at Hing Loon seemed to have a better texture than most. The cod, though, tasted like it was not quite fresh (I think more a function of Seattle's geography than of the restaurant's negligence).

The main course was a Tofu with Black Mushroom Hot Pot, one of the new dishes listed on the wall. This is a dish I order frequently, and compared with other restaurants in Seattle it was about average, but I would say well above average compared to most Chinese restaurants throughout the U.S. The tofu and sauce were both very good. The only thing I did not like was the fact that it was full of shitake mushrooms, but not much else in the way of vegetables. This is probably the more authentic Chinese version, but served this way it is more suited to a "family style" banquet, served along with other dishes, than eaten alone as a meal.

There were so many other appetizing looking specials on the wall that it would definitely merit a return trip (not to mention the choices that are on the regular menu).