Longrain

Recently we went to Longrain restaurant for a bit of a celebratory dinner. Arriving at 20 to 7, we were lucky enough to get the last "table" for four. I say "table" because one side of the restaurant has three large mess hall-type tables and so we were actually just slotted in between two groups of diners on the middle table.

To start we had the betel leaves topped with smoked trout, shredded herbs, chili and fish roe. Such small delicate servings with a wonderful combination of sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavours leaves you wanting more.

Betel leaves topped with smoked trout

The eggnet salad arrived beautifully presented, with literally an eggnet covering a salad of mostly beansprouts and a few greens. The salad was served with sweet vinegar on the side, but this was a little too sweet for my liking.

Eggnet with bean sprouts, peanuts, pomelo, coriander and sweet vinegar

The highlight of the dinner was probably the deep fried soft shell crab in a mild red curry with pineapple pieces and topped with betel leaves. The curry was surprisingly not creamy and not too sweet - one of the best red curry I've had.

Soft shell crab and pineapple red curry

The grilled beef had a great blend of flavours - sesame, lime and tamarind. The only downside was the beef itself which was a little overcooked and slightly tough.

Grilled skirt steak with sesame, lime and tamarind

The chicken was lovely and crisp, covered in a sticky blood plum glaze. This was served with lemon and szechuan pepper which provided a good contrast to sweetness of the sauce.

Crisp fried barossa chicken with blood plum sauce and szechuan pepper

Overall, not a bad dining experience - the service was excellent, the atmosphere was lively and the food was generally good but tended to be a little on the sweet side.