It was a much anticipated reunion with my favourite restaurant in Melbourne. All I knew is that the Crispy Fried Pork Hock was waiting for me.
We opted for the tasting menu just for ease. My friends had raved about a Whole Crispy Fried Fish that had been removed from the menu. Due to fate or otherwise, it was an optional add-on for the tasting menu.
- Caramelised Prawn, Eschalots, Chicken, Pork & Sour Pineapple - very strong sweetness with the palm sugar & peanuts glueing the ingredients together was a bit thick & heavy;
- Oyster (with Red Chilli, Lime Juice, Crispy Eschallots) - warm tasty steamed oyster in a salty soy broth, much like those from Cantonese restaurants;
- Eggnet, Pork, Prawn, Bean Sprouts, Cucumber Relish - delicious combination of vegetable textures (perhaps a little too heavy on the beanshoots) with a nice sweet & chilli fish sauce dressing;
- Green Curry Grass-Fed Beef - beef slices seemed a little confused; I assumed they were slices of fillet but cooked too much to be soft. I think a slow cooked tender cut would have been better;
- Caramelised Pork Hock, Five Spice, Chilli Vinegar - the perfect combination of soft juicy pork, gorgeous crunchy exterior and smothered in thick sweet palm sugar sauce. My favourite comfort & luxury dish in Melbourne;
- Whole Crispy Fish, Chilli, Lime, Roasted Rice - soft fleshed flounder with crispy skin topped with Asian herbs & a light sweet sauce;
- Steamed Chinese Broccoli, Oyster Sauce;
- Black Rice, Vanilla Tapioca, Custard Apple Cream - sweet combination of textures with rice grains, soft sago & smooth icecream.
Longrain still remains my long staple favourite. I miss it already.
It is also one of the reputed cocktail bars in Melbourne which serves to lessen the boredom in accepting their no reservations policy (you can book only for 6+ people). This is the only reason I would hesitate to recommend it to travellers - the wait can be unpredictable. Under those circumstances get a cocktail or two and you can order small items from the bar menu (Betef Leaf recommended).
Next time I would order my favourites from the a la carte menu - Betel Leaf with Pomelo and the Caramelised Pork Hock (the smaller bar menu option is enough for two and better value) in particular. If getting the tasting menu option, I'd choose the Sour Orange Fish Curry rather than the Green Curry Beef.
