Never Heard Of It is a series of stories exploring Vancouver’s many informal hole-in-the-wall eateries.

by Marshall To |  Long’s Noodle House can be found at 4853 Main Street (at 32nd Ave). It’s a tiny, casual, outwardly typical-looking Chinese restaurant where share plates and great value are the orders of the day. What’s not typical is the high quality; Long’s serves up some of the best traditional Shanghainese food in Vancouver.

The small restaurant is made even smaller when it’s packed, which is nearly always. The single server makes her rounds efficiently, keeping guest banter to a perfected minimum. A prep table is situated beside the cash desk as one of the cooks crams hundreds of dumpling wrappers with pork or vegetable fillings. Behind that, pumping out plate after plate after plate, is the smallest window pass I’ve ever seen.

Try the fresh homemade pan-fried dumplings; nutty and spicy Tan Tan Noodles; marinated jellyfish; beef rolls; soup dumplings; and my personal favourite, the Wine Chicken (aka Drunken Chicken), which sees chicken gently cooked in water, then marinated with salt and rice wine, and finally served cold.

4853 Main St. | No Website | 604-879-7879 | Closed Tuesdays | Cash Only

AH, BUT HAVE YOU HEARD OF THESE?