The first thing you notice when you enter Long’s Flavour is not Long’s flavour but rather Long’s smell. The smell that permeates the restaurant is one of authenticity, a stale, old-cigarette-like smell that transports the diner instantly back to a dingy room in China. This is something I would’ve found quite disturbing as a child, but the somewhat unpleasant smell just flicked on all the right nostalgia receptors in my brain.
I had Long’s Flavour Signature Chicken (steamed, $18.80), as it was the most highly recommended dish of the restaurant’s few die-hard 5-star Google reviews. As the gentleman (who was the only person staffing the restaurant at the time) went back into the kitchen to make my order I heard the familiar sound of button beeps followed by a humming. I do not wish to defame by postulating and leaping to conclusions as to the source of the aforementioned sounds, but it is true that microwave cooking can be used in a number of traditional cuisines to add efficiency and speed without hurting the quality of the meal.
Long’s actual chicken itself was warm, juicy, soft, and tender. It had a strong Hainanese chicken vibe, which was further strengthened by the delicious ginger and shallot and chilli sauces that were provided. The steamed bok choy provided a nice, fresh and healthy component to the meal that my mother would have approved of. My host asked me a couple of times if I would like to have rice with my meal and I’m sure that if I did the meal would’ve been even more Hainan than it already was.
4/5 – does the smell add or detract? Who knows.
Long’s Flavour 农夫小厨
85 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
