Longrain Melbourne

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
The shine hasn’t worn off Longrain since its eagerly anticipated arrival in late 2005 – its buzzing atmosphere and relaxed informality still make it a great place to enjoy the freshness of Martin Boetz’s Thai flavours. For the uninitiated, Longrain encourages shared dining at broad, communal tables, and bookings are not taken for small groups for dinner. The ideal scenario is to rock up at the bar early to sample some truly excellent cocktails and gaze at the energy in the big, open kitchen as you wait for a place to become free. The dishes, similarly, are designed to share, with the exception of the betel leaf appetisers – topped with smoked trout, spices and trout roe, or with prawns, peanut, mint and chilli – which you will undoubtedly want to keep all to yourself.

The dishes are generous and the staff are adept at recommending a selection that will let you experience that mix of salty, sweet, hot and sour flavours that makes Thai food such a pleasurable experience. They also have an uncanny knack of knowing when you are due for another lychee martini. Lighter dishes, such as the signature eggnet filled with pork, prawns, peanuts and bean sprouts, or the salt and pepper silken tofu with stir-fried Chinese broccoli and snow peas make a terrific start to your journey through the menu. The caramelised pork hock served with a side of sweet and sour sauce (palm sugar sauce and chilli vinegar) and the kingfish wrapped in banana leaf are a great follow-up. There are also vegetarian options available. Those who want to top up on the sweet end of the spectrum can opt for the sample dessert plate, which offers a stunning variety of the menu’s best, or finish simply with a cleansing scoop of coconut sorbet.

Angela Costanzo