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  • To Longrain Melbourne 
The concept is from Sydney but the space has a distinctive Melbourne edge to it – due to the heritage building, hip atmosphere and welcoming, friendly service. Since opening in November 2005 in an old stable building near Punch Lane, Melburnians have been streaming through the doors to see what all of the fuss is about. John Van Haandel and his successful team at The Prince along with Martin Boetz, internationally acclaimed chef and author, and Sam Christie, an award winning sommelier, have joined forces to create this unique venue.The bar is the focal point of the space and cleverly divides the restaurant space from the relaxed cocktail lounge. Longrain takes lunch bookings but not dinner bookings so the best way to ensure a table is to arrive early, place your name on the waiting list, enjoy a 'Bloody Longrain'cocktail or two in the lounge and then make your way to a communal table to enjoy Martin Boetz's exceptional modern Thai / Asian influenced cuisine. Dishes are designed to share and are generous in size with the perfect balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet flavours that Thai food is renowned for. Function enquiries are welcome and if you don’t have the time to wait for a table why not order from the tempting bar menu – available all afternoon until late – the perfect solution for pre or post theatre dining.

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Reviews of Longrain Melbourne

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  • thumb  Local Star   214 reviews
    Longrain makes top notch Thai cuisine with a fun flair. As most people mention in reviews, and what perhaps stands out most about the place is that all the seeting is communal. Long tables to be shared with complete strangers. One thing that everyone at the table will have in common however is that they are digging in to some fantastic Thai eats.

    3 weeks ago - 24/05/2013

  • foodluvva  Newbie   1 review
    While the food and decor at Longrain are really superb, I have to advise not to go there. Headed there for a friend's birthday last night and whoa to the prices and the disappointing service!!!! If you attend as a group of more than 8 they tell you to have a banquet with no choice of the alacarte menu. They inform you on the night, not at time of booking either. Even worse, the banquet comes as a choice of the $70 option of the $80 option. To be honest, I wouldn't balk at paying $70 at somewhere like Cumulus inc. where you assured of getting more than enough food. But in this case, the dishes are tiny, they didn't provide enough pieces of salmon in a dish to give everyone at the table a taste, and the dishes were really small. Honestly, the boys at the table had to control themselves. On average your serving size - if you apportion it out at your own table as we were rudely informed is our responsibility - for any one dish was a Tablespoon full.

    Then there are the staff's attitudes. We informed them one person at our table was gluten-free. Each dish was brought out by a new staff who we had to ask if the meal was gluten free and they then had to say they would check, return to the kitchen, and return to the table to announce the result. No patience, no kindness or empathy, and a shake of the head and humph as if our request was a distraction and annoyance. Summary: Don't bother....

    13/02/2012

  • MrFunkFuzz   2 reviews
    Longrain is definitely not your average Thai restaurant. If your wanting spring rolls, Tom Yum soup and a plate of Pad Thai, you are definitely in the wrong place, but if what your after is an experience that is new, exciting and truly unforgettable then it's a 100% must try. This modernized take on Thai food breaks all the rules of "traditional" Thai cuisine but in doing so creates something that is really exceptional and makes it a true standout over any other Thai restaurant I've been to.

    The layout of the place resembles a fancy, well furnished, upper class community hall with great lighting. The majority of the space is taken up with long tables for your couples and groups of four and big round ones for your larger group bookings. There are also little intimate areas for your more romantic types and seating at the bar. The green scale wall towards the back of the room is really something. In particular I always love the choice of music playing whenever I dine there.

    Staff are extremely friendly and helpful and always know the menu. The menu itself is rather small if your use to flipping through pages and pages of dishes (this is one page) but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. There is however a specials slip of paper that accompanies the menu which changes every time. Each dish is superb and if you can't get enough people together to order them all, a re-visit is a must. The betel leaf is the perfect entree to get the taste buds a tingling as it's packed with a huge punch of flavor. Everything after that is really up to you. Even though you wont find any familiar Thai dishes here, the spread on offer will make you forget everything you've had in the past and totally change your perception of Thai food. Well it did for me anyway.

    It's incredibly hard to fault Longrain but if you really want to nit pick, you could find a few unsavory things as perfection is always one hard, cruel mistress that continually takes but never gives. For me the menu lack entrees. Having two entree items on the menu is a little disappointing especially if you want a bit more of an introduction before diving in to the more pricier mains.
    Which brings me to the next point. With the majority of mains being around the $40 mark, it goes without saying that if you can put a bit of food away like I can, being fairly cashed up is a good idea. That said though, you really do get what you pay for.

    And finally, this place has to be one of the noisiest restaurants I've visited and I think it's due to the fact that it's basically one giant wooden hall. Getting in early, the atmosphere is relaxing and chilled out but as patrons start to arrive you notice the slow crescendo of laughter and random conversation until it hits it's peak about an hour into being seated when all seats are taken (the place fills up very quickly). Of course after a glass or two of wine or a cold crispy brew and some very good food none of that will matter anyway.

    Overall Longrain is a true icon of Thai cuisine and should definitely be on your list of places to visit next. Appreciators of great food only apply.

    04/09/2011

  • EleanorD   36 reviews
    I've heard about this restaurant a few times but only just enjoyed the experience lately. I can't go on enough about Longrain. The food was fantastic, I went with a large group of ladies and we had the $66 banquet which was absolutely amazing! The food kept coming, the service was spot on and the overall experience was 100%!

    25/05/2011

  • robstein  Local Star   311 reviews
    Immediately upon entering Longrain, you know youre not in a standard Thai eatery. Longrain manages to blend casual chic with sophisticated opulence & does it well. The staff are what you'd expect at such an establishment courteous & attentive. For all 30 in our group to comment that glasses were rarely left empty of wine or water paints a good picture of the service. Admittedly I went for a work dinner so was blissfully unaware of pricing, but I've heard it's not for the budget conscious. With that said, meals were sizeable without being overwhelming. We had a banquet. For me the standouts were fried pork with caramelised sugar cane and chilli (WOWthe taste, the texture amazing!) & the dessert platter of banana fritter, sago, sorbet, coconut mousse and more. I left Longrain wanting to crawl up into a ball of overindulgence, served well in the knowledge that is how I imagine Thai royalty may eat. A gastronomic experience with few rivals, Longrain is truly superb!

    06/12/2008

  • god   33 reviews
    Stunning thai food. The betel leaf is a good entree and so are the oysters. The mains are quite large serves too. Great spacious set up too, so Longrain doesn't feel cramped at all. I look forward to going back again but I also cant help thinking that for what we spent for one meal I could enjoy thai food for a week in bangkok, therefore budget conscious diners should try cheaper alternatives.

    20/07/2008

Restaurants

Dining Options

Eat-in Functions A-la-carte Bookings

Cuisine

Thai

Editorial Reviews

  • Longrain

    Ultimate Melbourne

    Sunday, August 02, 2009

    Thank goodness Sydney shared its Longrain concept with us. The Longrain here in the old stable building on the corner of Punch Lane has a definite Melbourne edge – it’s hip and warehouse-y and let’s face it, a tad calmer than its northern counterpart. Asian dining in a sophisticated banquet style like this makes you want to push the boat out. There’s something about the fire and the flickering candlelight that makes the sticky pork hock caramelised with ginger taste even sweeter. The betel leaves to start, with a zesty cocktail, are a must-order and a lovely rainbow trout with shredded banana leaves is just fine. Add Chinese broccoli and a green papaya salad and you are away. The portions are generous and the tables mostly communal, which adds to the feeling you are feasting with like-minded folk. Take those you like to share most with.

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