I love almost everything about this supermarket. We shop here very regularly & purchase the majority of our fruits, vegetables, frozen seafood, fresh herbs, Asian bakery treats, Asian spices/bottled sauces/snacks, rice and much more here. Overall, this is a far better Asian supermarket than T&T - by leaps and bounds - and even their prices are far better. I don't think I've ever even had any Hen Long employee be rude to me or blow me off, regardless of the fact that I'm obviously not Asian. Quite the opposite. I've gotten nothing but great service from the first time I had ever shopped here, which often isn't the case when I go to other 'ethnic' type food stores.
Great location on 104 with lots of parking directly outside of the store, as well as underground. We can always find parking here. Easy to get to by car or transit. There are a few casual food establishments right across the lot, in addition to the several counters inside including a bakery, fresh seafood tanks, a housewares & small appliance section, a roasted duck & pork counter - which is delivered daily & is far better than the roasted duck that T&T is pimping - and a bubble tea place inside the main supermarket (try the Thai bubble tea with milk!) plus some additional offices on the second floor, which is still 'under development' so to speak. You can walk in, get yourself an ice cold drink, have a snack or even a meal and shop in a low stress environment all in the same place.
One of my favorite things here is that ALL of their checkout lanes are always open! unlike god-forsaken Superstore. We actually prefer shopping here to any other grocery store, hands down. Especially since we can get almost everything we need in terms of both Asian & Western foods.
Their produce is beautiful.....cheaper & fresher than anywhere else the majority of the time, with the rare exception. They also carry so many items which regular supermarkets don't such as Javanese sugar, sauces from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand & even Japan, really good quality rice in larger bags, fresh Thai basil, lots of fresh mint, absolutely gorgeous mushrooms in several varieties, fresh grated coconut & banana leaves in the freezer section, amazing shrimp, prawns, squid & fish at very good prices, beautiful birds eye chili peppers at the cheapest price I've seen anywhere in the Lower Mainland and much much more. Their bakery bits & bobs are always fresh & the woman who normally works that counter is incredibly nice & friendly, always remembers what we like buying. Their selection of spices, fresh herbs, non-typical fruits etc is always very good and sold at great prices.
The only things I'm really hoping they add to their stock are some Asian skin care & hair care products, as well as some cosmetic brands. There are several Japanese & Korean brands which are amazing but are very difficult to find here, which we always have to order online. It would also be nice to see more housewares & unique small appliances which we typically don't see here. And I can't wait til they fully open the upper floor. I'm hoping to see a variety of stores up there carrying hard-to-find items, which means I'll be shopping at this place even more often.
It's just a great supermarket that is incredibly easy - as well as actually enjoyable - to shop at. And I'm no fan of shopping, believe me. It's the only store we shop at which we both don't dread having to go to. Very glad they expanded & have added even more items to their regular stock. read more