Foodie Blog

Longrain Restaurant - Sydney, Australia

September 2010

My good friend and fellow chef Justin purchased a cookbook some years ago from Sydney restaurant Longrain. I believe there is another branch in Melbourne these days. So when I had the chance to go to Sydney this month to spend time with family, the first place I wanted to book into was Justin’s favourite. Longrain is a modern Thai food restaurant in Surrey Hills. As it happens, they don’t take bookings, so we endeavoured to turn up 10 minutes before opening time of 6pm to secure a table.

There was a large queue already waiting and it seems if you turn up earlier you can order a cocktail to sip on while you wait for a table. We decided to forget the drinks for now and wait in line as the bar was jammed. We were lucky enough to get seats and ordered from the cocktail list as I had seen the amazing looking drinks waft past - oh and Justin told me I had to. My "Bloody Longrain" was superb! A Thai style version of a Bloody Mary it was loaded with fresh lime leaves, lemongrass and all manner of other Asian goodies.

Then out came the food! Each dish was filled with bold flavours perfectly balanced with a hint of chilli and all executed with a great deal of skill. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. And though it differs from the fresh flavours of Thai food made by Thai chefs in Thailand - which I also love - this was like opening a whole new door into a world of ethnic cuisine the likes of which I have never experienced before.

So, what did we eat? Let’s just talk about one dish, the red curry beef!

Red Curry Beef

Sometimes when I eat something that tastes perfect to me, I have to try and make it. I got really really close with this version for a rapturously received staff lunch. Here’s how I made it. Chef style!

Puree together:

Chilli sambal
White onion
Garlic
Ginger
Lemongrass
Fresh lime leaves
Fresh coriander
Enough oil to make smooth paste

Add and pulse through:

Ground cumin
Ground allspice
Ground coriander
Ground turmeric
A little cardamom if you have it

Place in a large pot and cook on a low heat for a good 15-20 minutes. Add a little water to loosen.
Stir in a good amount of tomato paste. It should be red without having an overbearing tomato flavour. Finish with beef jus. Bring to the boil and the sauce is done.

Sear and season beef cubes. Add beef to sauce and heat through. Serve beef in sauce with layers of drizzled yoghurt, fresh chopped coriander, Vietnamese mint and mint.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

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