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.

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

This place had great food. I ordered some prawns as well as the shrimp wrap and a side of Chinese broccoli. Everything had great flavor and I enjoyed the dishes a whole lot. With that being said, the decor was a bit clubby for my taste. It reminds you of a typical restaurant in the meatpacking district from 10 years ago. The service was great as well.