There's having "dinner," and there's having a "dining experience." Longrain is unequivocally ensconced in the latter category! Virtually everything about this marvelous modern Thai eatery is a masterwork!
Located at the east end of Chinatown's LIttle Bourke Street (just outside the throngs and scrappiness of the district's final gateway arch, where the street begins to settle down and the theatre crowd starts taking over), the relatively subdued front masks a refined and polished jewel that, unbeknownst to the neophyte, thrills and dazzles!
As we waited for a seating, we started in the lounge with drinks (Red Duck Porter; $9) and a couple of plates of delicately sublime betel leaf entrees: pomelo, mint, green papaya, peanuts and toasted coconut ($5 ea.); smoked river trout, mint, green papaya and peanuts ($5 ea.). Thus, began our heavenly ascent for the evening....
Longrain is laid-out with individual tables for large parties, with the majority of patron seating done communal-style on elongated wooden tables. (Communal dining is not something I'm particularly fond of; however, here, the parties have a surprisingly good amount of privacy, and watching the parade of various dishes, in and of itself, is quite delightful.) A bottle of Moortangi Estates' 2008 Cambrian Shiraz ($80) began the experience. As is the tradition in Asian dining, we ordered main courses to share.
The first course began with an "egg net" filled with pork, prawns, peanuts, caramelized coconut and raw bean sprouts, served with a cucumber relish (very similar to a Japanese sunomono) ($31). Its presentation brings smiles (even gasps!), and the sheer freshness of the flavors and ingredients are wonderful! (This dish is extremely popular as there were a number of other diners who ordered the same. It could be a "signature" dish of theirs.)
For our second course, we were compelled to the slow braised Tasmanian wilderness beef cheeks ($30). A bowl of savory vegetables blanketed near-empyrean pieces of melt-in-your-mouth beef cheeks! (Personally, I could've easily eaten the whole bowl myself. It was astounding!) This was a dish to hold in your mouth and chew slowly, because you knew each downward bite and swallow was a fleeting moment of pure nirvana.... Oh, how I didn't want it to end...!
As would naturally be the case, it was virtually impossible for our third course to reach the heights of those beef cheeks. That said, the more earthbound flavors of the stir fried Clarence River prawns and cuttlefish in an XO sauce ($28) turned out to be the perfect segue -- like taking a very deep breath -- into a dessert course whose flavors were -- and I say this with not an ounce of hyperbole! -- stratospheric...!
After the communal dinner, we each broke free with a triad of individual choices. Our friend went with the (off-menu) black sticky rice ($14). My partner (being it was his birthday) went whole-hog with the dessert selection plate ($29). My mouth watered for the watermelon sorbet, lemongrass creme, kaffir lime curd, basil seed and passion fruit plate ($14). The artfulness of each dish was masterful! I truly felt as if I were one of those judges on an episode of "Iron Chef America," no kidding! The flavors of my dessert plate were both incredibly intense and soothingly sublime, and the presentation was like a Miro or Klee construction. I didn't want to ruin its beauty! Truly, I had gone to Heaven on Little Bourke Street...!!! (Or maybe it was in the other direction, being it was sinfully scrumptious...???)
[As an aside: The dessert selection plate was a platter of five desserts (black sticky rice, kaffir lime curd mold, rum raisin ice cream, tapioca and jackfruit, and a "duck caramel" that was unlike any caramel I've ever tasted!). The black sticky rice dish was a beaut, as well, topped with the rum raising ice cream and thin slices of fresh mango.]
Service-wise, it could not have been more professional and welcoming and fun. These folks know what the meaning of customer service is, to a tee! If there was any complaint, the auditory level of Longrain is quite high; I had a tough time hearing above the din of conversations coming from every which way. (Fortunately, I was so into my meals, it didn't matter what anyone had to say.... Haha!) :)
The aftermath, from the lofty to the commonplace, with our feet firmly planted back on Aussie soil, with the bright stars beginning to blur and re-focus to the earthly environs, I felt blessed to have experienced a small bit of Heaven here on earth with my partner and friend.... And, keeping with the Heavenly metaphors, I can return anytime when I need my next angelic fix...! :D (And, too, thank God for credit cards...!!!) ;) read more