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Longrain Restaurant

4.3 (58 reviews)
PriceyThai
Closed 12:00 pm - 11:59 PM

Longrain Restaurant Photos

LONGRAIN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Trendy
Classy
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Longrain Restaurant

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Chargrilled black marron, green mango, lemongrass, kaffir lime, hot and sour dressing
David K.

3.5 stars! Thai fusion food made with local Australian ingredients is what you'll find at Longrain, a trendy Asian fusion restaurant. However, don't expect the most authentic flavors, as these have definitely been toned down to suit Western palates. On my visit for dinner, I had the papaya salad with snake beans, tomatoes, and peanuts, which was much too sweet and not well balanced in flavor. We also had the appetizer of chargrilled Cape Grim beef with betel leaves, sticky rice, and nahm jim jao, a hot and tangy sauce. The beef was cooked perfectly and just a little bit chewy, and you could make wraps using the betel leaf for delicious bites! Finally, we ordered a special for our main course: chargrilled black marron with green mango, lemongrass, kaffir lime, and hot and sour dressing. The black marron were large crayfish from Australia, and they were dressed with the vegetables, herbs, and sauce on top. Though the seafood was cooked nicely, the flavor of the toppings was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of ginger. However, not a bad dish overall! At Longrain, you'll find a truly unique fusion of Thai flavors and cooking styles with local Australian ingredients. The service is friendly and hospitable, but the prices are certainly high for the portion sizes, and the flavors are definitely less than authentic. Given that, I probably wouldn't be in a rush to return.

Sheenal S.

Almost 6 years ago I had been told by a colleague that long grain was his favourite restaurant and that every year he made it a point to visit it with his wife. This is back when I lived in Sydney. Since then I've had this intense desire to go to long grain but been afraid of reading about the long waits. But this evening my friend and I decided to get there at 5.45pm and we were the first ones in line and were seated at 6pm on a nice wooden table nest the windows Service staff are great and it is fantastic that that are happy to reduce the size and price of the main dishes if the food is being shared between just two people as all main dishes are to share. We were warned that the appetizers are bite sized and they were. We ordered the caramelized pork prawn on pineapple and it wad literally the smallest two chunks of pineapple (perhaps as big as a 1 one dollar coin) with two teensy meatballs on top. Delicious but for 6 dollars wow. I could definitely taste the herbs the caramel the dizziness of the prawn and it went well with the pineapple. For mains we ordered the smaller version of the osso bucco and instead of 38 we got it for 28. Tut was still a sizeable portion with a small sized home with tender beef on it. Some baby chat potatoes and meaty pieces of eggplant. Delicious curry but nothing to call home about. Not spicy. Lightly flavoured and not spicy at all. We ordered the hapuka lemongrass curry which was a fillet of fish in broth with lots of chives and coriander. It had pieces of varying types of mushrooms too. I found the dish very disappointing. First of all it wad served below room temperature. We were told the dish wasn't going to be filling but it was more than enough. The broth was flavorless and honestly all I could taste was chive and coriander because that is what I kept getting in each bite. I don't understand what all the the hype is about. Service is definitely great and so is ambience and decor but food is average.

Some things actually taste as good as they look
Edmund C.

Boujee fusion Asian food What is there not to like about that !? :) Didn't manage to get photos of the main meals but the food was actually decent - well cooked and presented The staff who served us were extremely professional It was clear that we were eating at a higher class establishment from the mannerisms. Really impressed with the service that night The dessert was absolutely delicious Looked like something whipped up by a MasterChef contender trying to stay in the competition on elimination day

Caramelised pork hock and rice
Casey G.

Longrain is certainly a Melbourne institution. We've been here quite a few times and always enjoyed it immensely. Tonight was probably the 'worst' food we've had here, but even on a 'bad' night it's still alright. For entree we had the pomelo, coconut, chilli etc betel leaves and the scallop entree. Both were yum. For main we had the egg net filled with pork and prawns. It was served cold as a salad. It was a decent size meal, as they always are here. The prawns were fresh and cooked well. There wasn't a lot of pork though and the dressing was overly sweet. We had old faithful as well - the caramelised pork hock with chilli vinegar. It was great, crispy pork, delicious sauce, and a spicy tart vinegar to temper the sweetness of the sauce. It was delicious. The service started really well but slowed off at the end. But for that we probably would have tried some of the ice cream - the palm sugar ice cream sounded good, as did the Thai milk tea ice cream. Oh well maybe next time!

Longrain interior.
Darryl S.

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...!!!) ;)

Luke B.

Longrain is a Thai inspired Melbourne dining institution. The food is of exceptionally high standard and the interior trendy - causally chic and always abuzz with music and chatter! This visit to Longrain was no exception. We had a booking for a party of 10 and found this to be a great opportunity to engage in communal dining and try a large sample of what Longrain really has to offer. Needless to say, we weren't disappointed. Coriander, lime, chilli, coconut, garlic - all of the full and flavoursome Thai flavours were present. My favourite dish was the caramelised pork hock. Meat that melts in your mouth and crackling cooked to absolute perfection!! The duck was also delicious and the red curry sauce perfect for mopping up with wild brown rice. The dinner specials added to the variety of choice, from crisp whole baby snapper to red peanut curry with tofu and kaffir lime (not too mention the many more vegetarian dishes that were available too). One concern I secretly harbour with shared meal experiences is that the portions may be far too small to adequately sample their flavour (or to stave off the quick hamburger fix on the way home). Not at Longrain!! Our party ordered one to two portions of each dish we decided to try and found this to be ample. Although, on my next visit I'm determined to have a whole caramelised pork hock to myself! Knowledgeable staff (who were happy to explain the finer details of the tastes and aromas of Longrain's kitchen) and the presence of a large Lazy Susan on our table capped the evening off as one to remember. I look forward to my next visit!

Chantee F.

Longrain is a well oiled machine of a restaurant. I say this because technically they are on point in terms of food presentation, quality and service, but there is a slightly cold element in the ambiance and sincerity in service, which can feel quite impersonal. That being said, I did enjoy my meal here as the dishes were loaded with flavour, presented well and very tasty. My favourite was the poached chicken with green papaya which was spicy and paired well with rice. Other noteworthy dishes were the fried duck curry that tenderly fell off the bone and the vegetarian curry, full of a nice variety of veggies and flavours. They have an ample wine selection, something for everyone. We ended up with two bottles of red for our table, which seemed like a never ending glass that was good to the last drop. Many tables have Lazy Susans which are quite handy for groups. In comparison to other Asian fusions like Chin Chin, you can probably get just as much food for a lower price, but the quality is definitely on par. Overall it was a great experience and there are many yummy dishes to suit any palette.

Flavoursome
Michelle W.

I haven't been to Longrain in a couple of years and I was happy that without booking we got a table after sitting at the bar for 20 mins. It did take us quite a while for one of the wait staff to take our drinks order. Before our snacks (we order salmon on betel leaf and chicken wings) arrived, we were ushered to our tables. The salmon on betel leaf was OMG delicious but its was so small that it is gone in 5 seconds and I wanted more. The chicken wings was not enough, there was only 4 pieces (1 for each of us) and I needed more, the tamarind sauce that came with it was so moreish - one of my mission is to try all the fried chicken in Melbourne. We had the papaya salad (which is amazing but a tad spicy for my liking but all the taste I needed it was there). We had the ping pong, cocktail and mocktail versions and they were sweet, tart, cold and full of texture from the passionfruit. Recommended!

Betel lead with trout
Caroline A.

I love this place, everything from the cocktails to the betel leaf tapas to the silken tofu or the ocean trout main. Worth the wait and as long as you're ok with sharing large tables this place rocks!! Service is great too, I never have to try and get the wait staffs attention and if you're in a rush they can get the dishes out quickly. My new fave place!

The ultimate Thai experience
Celia M.

You can't book a table for Longrain unless you have over six people dining. You have no choice other than to sit down and drink delicious cocktails after putting your name on a list. It's a hard life. The cocktail menu is extensive and apart from the classics, there are also some wonderful variations using exotic Thai flavours. My favourites are either the Gin Sling (Lychees and lemongrass) or the Bloody Longrain (a spicier and more 'thai' version of the classic Bloody Mary). But wait, there's more. For exciting unique Thai food, Longrain is top of the list. Longrain is all about sharing, so there are hardly any entrees to have. There are two choices of Betel leaf and I highly recommend the option with smoked trout, chilli, roasted galangal, garlic and trout roe. This little appetiser packs a punch so you won't need too many. Pay a lot of attention to the mains. They are varied and exciting and it is worthwhile getting a few different and diverse options: the whole baby snapper paired with the Cape Grim beef yellow curry is marvellous. Expect service to be efficient and the food and drinks to be magnificent. Get there early to hit the top of the list.

Hope M.

Longrain is my favourite Asian restaurant, and a pretty strong contender for my favourite restaurant overall in Melbourne. Yup, it's that good. Consistently. I love that all dishes are designed for sharing, so you get to taste a wide range of the menu. Go out and make more friends. Now. The more people you come with, the more dishes you get to taste. I'm also a big fan of the drinks at Longrain. They're best known for their cocktails (the Gin Sin is worth bragging about), but the wine list isn't to be overlooked... Yeah, it's on the spendier end of things, but Longrain offers excellent value for your bucks. The serving sizes are extremely generous even when you're sharing with a big group, and the service is exceptional. The staff are friendly, attentive and know their stuff, but are completely unpretentious. It's a really comfortable dining experience. Just a final word: DO NOT MISS THE EGG NET. You have been told.

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Excellent ambiance, excellent food, very friendly staff who helped guide me through the menu.

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2 years ago

Love the food, ambiance, and service provided by Sophie and Tim! Loved it so much we went 2 nights in a row on our vacation!

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Lanna Thai Restaurant

Lanna Thai Restaurant

3.6(7 reviews)
2.0 kmNorth Melbourne
$$

Had a nice dinner here tonight. Restaurant was quite empty but there was a steady stream of take…read morealway customers. A small place well decorated with Thai art works and artifacts. All their serving dishes (plates, vases, tea pots, etc) have their logo stamped on them. Oh snd the pots were elephants. I ordered the chargrilled beef. Wasn't sure what to expect since the description said grilled to perfection. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it grilled just right for me (medium to medium well), the portion was large and tasty. I thought it would taste salty with the soy sauce marinade and over cooked but not a bit. The texture was good as well. The beef was served with vegetables on the side and a sweet tangy sauce. The latter could be the salad dressing or a sauce to dip the beef in. Either way, only the vegetables were questionable with regards to their freshness. I saw others order a curry dish that was served over a candle light to keep the dish warm. Nice touch. Rice is extra and it was either jasmine rice or coconut rice. Waitress said coconut rice was too oily for her so I picked the jasmine rice. Served in a traditional dish, the rice was very nicely done. Service is OK. The cashier (might be the boss) was constantly talking to the two waitresses In Thai. I need ask for plain water, they don't offer either. Very polite staff, then again, I find Australians very friendly all round. Now go have some authentic Thai food.

Love this little place opposite of the Royal Melbourne. Everything is great down to the beautiful…read moredishes and crockery in which they serve the food. What I always order: beef massaman, green curry chicken, roti bread and coconut rice. I also love the coconut juice as they serve it with a big spoon and big chunks of coconut, so refreshing.

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Lanna Thai Restaurant
Lanna Thai Restaurant
Lanna Thai Restaurant - Dishes stamped with their logo.

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Dishes stamped with their logo.

Longrain Restaurant - thai - Updated May 2026

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