REVIEW: LONgTIME

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Love you, LONgTIME? Maybe...

There are so many places in Brisbane I want to eat. I have lists in my mind and lists in my diary of places I'm going. I wait for an opportunity to steer groups to one of these restaurants so I can tick them off my list. Then, other times, it's 9:30 on a Saturday night and we haven't eaten since lunch and shiz just got real. And our visit to LONgTIME was one such occasion.

LONgTIME is tucked between Birdies and the Peter Pan travel agency on Ann St, down an alley way lit with festoon lights and vines, the space outside had an almost Italian feel. I can't say I gave it much notice as I almost ran in and asked for a table. Even at 9:30pm, the host told us we were in for up to an hour wait! Well, my heart was already set so we settled in for the long time wait at the bar.

The busy kitchen.

I don't think it was in my mind that there was an air of fierce competiveness for a table: every time the host came near, all hungry eyes bored into him. Thankfully, the bar staff were very attentive and we were never without a drink in our hands. After literally 127 hours (not literally, it was 40 minutes), I had gnawed my arm off a la James Franco and was starting on the second when the host became the most beautiful person I'd ever met and took us to our table. Given that we didn't have a booking and were just 3 drunk souls who wandered in, a 40 minute wait on a Saturday night really wasn't that bad.

The interior with big communal tables.

LONgTIME is all about share plates and I must confess, I have a secret fear of share plates. I get panicked that I won't be full. Which is the worst thing when you've gone out to eat, in my opinion. But this fear is most assuredly unfounded, especially in company who know me well, as I'm not shy about taking the last spring roll. Even so, it wasn't without a little trepidation on my behalf, that we ordered.



Trust me, there were 2 more of these. We were ravenous!



 First to arrive was Bangkok Taco with Crispy Prawn Laab ($4.50 each). The tacos had the most wonderful crisp, deep fried shell. I could have eaten a bowl full of them on their own. However, I'm glad I had the prawn filling. The prawn taste was very strong but it was a good thing. They were bigger than I anticipated and at 10:30pm on a boozy belly, this was also a good thing.



There were 4 of these...don't worry, we gave them all a good home.


The tacos were devoured in almost an instant and quickly to follow them were the Longtime Pulled Pork Hock Bao with Fried Egg & Pickled Greens ($4 each). Four of these came out for some reason, even though we'd asked for one each. I thought maybe it was a freebie but it did turn up on the bill. Never mind. The dough of the bao was amazing, with just a touch of salty and soft as a marshmallow. The pork was well done and it's sweetness went perfectly with the dough. It was pretty special.

Nachos? Sort of?

The final of our starters was the Smoked Rice Noodle Nachos with Coconut Cheese Sauce ($8). Now this was something different and even days later, I'm not sure if it was good different. Instead of your usual corn chips or some sort of crispness, LONgTIME have used little sausage-like pieces of rice noodles. It was most unexpected, however it can't be that unexpected as it's right there in the name of the dish. The sauce had a strong coriander flavour and also that of a BBQ sauce. I felt a bit undecided about this dish but Mr. Cakes and company quite liked them.  

Penang curry, which is my favouritest curry.

For the first of our substantial plates, we ordered the Penang Curry of Grilled Pork Loin, Pickled Ginger and Peanuts ($29). Now my heart did fall a little when this dish came out. For $29, it was a bit small. And since it's a share dish, that's extremely upsetting. Also, the meat wasn't amazing, the pork just a touch tough. I think I would have preferred chicken. However, the curry sauce itself was delightful. The nuttiness and sweetness was perfectly balanced.



Crying tiger. Maybe he was crying about the price.



Next up was the Crying Tiger 12 Hours Slow Cooked Chargrilled Rib Fillet, With Roasted Rice and Lime Dressing. The price on the menu was $36,  but the waiter advised us that it would be $42 because of the serving size that night. The meat in this dish was amazing. It absolutely melted in my mouth. Everything about this was amazing. Again, the price to size ratio might have been a little off, but when you consider what a steak costs in most restaurants, it wasn't the worst value in the world.

Uhhhh there may have been more of this. Obviously still learning in the restaurant reviewing department.

Leaving the best til last, we had the Salted Crispy Pork Belly Pad See Uw, Chow Sum and Pickled Chilli. At $18, this was by far the best value and I think the best tasting. We saw a return of the sausage-like noodles and while I still was not the biggest fan, they suited the sauce of the pad see uw much better. It was the crispy pork that was the stand out star in this dish, and each mouthful of pork and chow sum (which is maybe the correct was of spelling chow sum?) with the wok flamed flavour was so tasty.


The lovely laneway.

The service at LONgTIME deserves a shout out too, as our glasses were never empty and the staff were excellent at making wine and cocktail recommendations as well as being wonderfully well humoured. LONgTIME's staff are a credit to the restaurant.

LONgTIME offers a great option for late night dining and some really unique menu items. Both the space and the staff are fantastic. I'm not sure I'm in love just yet, but I'm keen to go again to see where things go.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

SYDNEY REVIEW: An Restaurant (Pho An)

Pho AND wordplay! Can it get any better?

YAY! Sydney review time! If you follow my Facebook or my Instagram you would know that I went to Sydney recently. If you don't follow my  Facebook or my Instagram, why don't you? I would love it! Plus you'd know I went to Sydney! It's a win win.

Enter on the left, exit on the right!

I haven't told you yet but I am obsessed with Vietnamese. It seems to be having a moment here in Brisbane and I was pleased to hear that my sister was taking me to one of Sydney's best pho restaurants. If you're not yet fluent in the world of pho-y delights, let me tell you all about it. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, made out of flat rice noodles with thinly sliced raw beef and some herbs on top. Then a piping hot, amazingly tasty broth is poured on top. This cooks the beef and all the goodness stays in the soup. I've looked into making it at home, and may well do one day but it's an incredibly long process with the broth cooked from 3 to 9 hours! Ain't nobody got time for that! Well, not right now anyway.

So much concentration on pho.

So my sister told me she was taking me to get pho from An Restaurant (aka as Pho An in various places) and that it was good. I was sceptical that there would be pho that beat my local Vietnamese shop but being mad for pho, I was excited at the prospect. We drove to Bankstown and soon were walking up to a pretty unassuming restaurant. Straight away, I could tell that An Restaurant was not messing around with a separate entry and exit door. In one way and out the other!

Look at all those bean sprouts and chilli. You could practically make a meal out of the condiments alone.

Once we got inside, I could see that speediness was a theme here, this wasn't the venue for a long, lingering lunch. This is a eat it and beat it kinda place. The tables and chairs are basic with no cushions or tablecloths, so the waiters can wipe things down and seat the next party straight after you. It felt reminiscent of an Asian hawker market. You're definitely coming here for the ambience. We sat down and straight away the waiter was there. Since it's only pho available in either pho bo (beef) or pho ga (chicken), there really isn't that much deliberating. My sister choose a medium Pho Topped with Chicken ($13) and I was feeling really brave so I went for a medium Pho Topped with Beef Combination ($13.50). Beef combination is rare beef, cooked beef, been tendon and tripe. I asked for no tripe and half a serve of noodles, my sister asked for no coriander. I sensed that the waiter was a little irritated by the two picky girls making changes to the menu but what can you do. Bishes have needs, yo.

My pho before I customised it...you can see the tripe floating there. FYI, I totally ate the tendon and tried the tripe. Culinary adventurer.

The pho came out super quickly. I could see tripe floating around my bowl but with one sip, I couldn't possibly hold that against them. I was in pho heaven. The pho from my local Vietnamese shop suddenly seemed like week old dish water. I swore. My eyes rolled around in my head. I basically shovelled this delicious ambrosia into my face hole as fast as I could bring the spoon to my mouth. Then suddenly a great sadness overcame me. The best pho I'd ever eaten was a 929 kilometre drive from my house. And An Restaurant does do takeaway, but I just don't think I'll get it home in time. What a double edged sword this turned out to be.

And after I customised it! Look at it in all it's glory!

My sister lost the ordering game, her pho was a sight more bland than mine however this could be in part due to her dislike of coriander as she is a crazy person. It was good but my beef pho was just on another level. She did have more noodles than me, so half of my request was delivered. She was happy with her order and had been curious as to see what the chicken pho was but we both agreed that there was no point in getting anything except the beef pho.

Wow, no offence Chicken Pho, but your sister Beef Pho is way hotter than you.

 

Wow, no offence Chicken Pho, but your sister Beef Pho is way hotter than you.

There was a great selection of condiments which really makes pho for me, with lashings of chilli and lots of crunchy bean sprouts. My sister also got a fresh young coconut juice which confirmed to me that I do not like fresh coconut juice. There were nice big chunks of coconut down the bottom though so if you're partial, you'd probably like it.



Looks like water, but isn't.



As soon as we had finished, the waiters were nearby to get the bill and we were out the door! By the specific exit, of course. My sister couldn't help but laugh at my mixed of delight and despair. It was honestly the best pho I've ever had. I can't help but wonder how much better it could get? What are they serving up in Vietnam? Could it be better? Perhaps my pho journey is just beginning...

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Price: 3/5
Atmosphere: 1/5