Long’s Noodle House best Xiao Long Bao in Vancouver
Long’s Noodle House is one of the iconic Shanghai cuisine restaurants in Vancouver. It has been considered the best place to go for Xiao Long Bao in Vancouver before the recent food scene bloom. I have tried many new restaurants that offers Xiao Long Bao in their menu, but many still fall short compared to the ones served at Long’s. The cost for $26 per person is a little high, but that is because we ordered quite a bit of food for 2 people. If you are even a little bit interested in Xiao Long Bao, you should give Long’s Noodle House a try.
Pan-fried pork bun $7.95
If you ask any foodie where to get the best Xiao Long Bao in Vancouver, I guarantee one of the names you’ll hear is Long’s noodle house. This little Southern Chinese cuisine restaurant focuses on food made using flour. The small dining area seats approximately 35 people and it’s always packed during mealtime. We’ve decided to come here
Strength: Authentic Juicy Xiao Long Bao, Supreme customer service
Weakness: Small dining area results in long wait
Other Xiao Long Bao
- Din Tai Fung Xiao Long Bao (1.5 Stars)
- Shanghai Dimsum House (3.5 Stars)
- ColorSeeSee Shanghainese Cuisine (5 Stars)
Located in an old building
Long’s Noodle House does not look like much when you see it from the outside. The one story old building looks like it can be redeveloped any day. Of course, the dirty white awnings doesn’t help with their appearance. However, the regulars of this restaurant doesn’t seem to care.
Interior space looks clean and bright
There are two large round table and a combination of 2 seat and 4 seat tables. Often times customers get asked to be part of the communal table. The staffs arrange seating to provide maximum achievable comfort and seating efficiency to reduce wait time.
Special dish on the black board
Above one of the walls we can see the special menu written on the black board. These dish are written in Chinese so not everyone can read it. If you want to try something different but cannot read it, the staff can usually suggest something new and tasty.
Modest Tableware
The tableware is simply white porcelain and black plastic chopsticks with one piece of napkin.
Sweet Soya Bean Milk $3.90
The soya bean milk taste very similar to Sunrise soya beverage. Yes, the ones you buy at Asian supermarket for $3.97 per 1.89 Litre will cost you $3.90 for a small glass.
Shanghai Wheat Gluten $9.95
Our waitress suggested us to get this dish. I’m not quite sure if it’s hard tofu cut into small strings or actual wheat gluten. Regardless of what it is, I like its soft texture, the fresh cilantro with drizzle of sesame oil. This is a cold appetizer dish that kind of feel like a bean curd salad.
Xiao Long Bao
Xiao Long Bao $7.95
Long’s Noodle House puts “noodle” in their name, but what they are actually known for is their Xiao Long Bao. These juicy buns are comparable to the ones at ColorSeeSee except the ones served at Long’s are a little softer, and the soup inside is not as rich to feel too greasy. The exterior of these Xiao Long Bao has good structure. As you can see on the 3rd picture, almost half of the buns are filled with soup.
Jelly fish with sliced radish $8.95
The jelly fish with sliced radish is a cold appetizer. With the jelly fish being slippery and having a crunchy texture, and sliced radish being crispy, this dish is refreshing to go with some of the more greasy dish we have ordered.
Pan-fried pork bun $7.95
The pan-fried pork buns have the same filling as the Xiao Long Bao, but with a different type of treatment for the flour. The wrapping for the buns are fluffier, but they also absorbs the soup from the inside. This results in a less juicy interior. Sometimes I get thirsty from eating these. I like the pan-fried buns crunchy bottom and the satisfying feeling in biting into them.
Pan-fried pork dumplings $7.95
pan-fried pork dumplings $7.95
The pan-fried pork dumplings are Shanghai style pot-stickers. We’ve noticed that the two ends are not closed like the pot-stickers we are used to, but apparently the closed ends pot-stickers are authentic to Shanghai cuisine. I’m not a big fan of these pork dumplings because of the imbalanced veggies to meat ratio. I suspect the veggies are only roughly chopped to give texture variation, but they are a little too coarse for me.
604 Food Critic Assessment
Long’s Noodle House is one of the iconic Shanghai cuisine restaurants in Vancouver. It has been considered the best place to go for Xiao Long Bao in Vancouver before the recent food scene bloom. I have tried many new restaurants that offers Xiao Long Bao in their menu, but many still fall short compared to the ones served at Long’s. The cost for $26 per person is a little high, but that is because we ordered quite a bit of food for 2 people. If you are even a little bit interested in Xiao Long Bao, you should give Long’s Noodle House a try.
Menu
How to get in touch
- Phone: (604) 879-7879
- Address: 4853 Main St, Vancouver
- Hours: 11:00 am – 2:30 pm, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
