It was a truly rainy night (pouring actually) in November, but it wasn’t going to stop my long awaited dinner at Longrain Thai restaurant on St. James’s Street.

As a Hovian I tend to think of Kemp Town as being a long trek but actually the restaurant is so central, it’s only minutes away from all the main bus stops. Dodging the rain and wind, I immediately felt at home as I walked into a cosy, candle-lit, charming restaurant which feels like the independent it is.

The atmosphere is really important to me – it may appear old fashioned but it’s not just the food for me, service and ambience counts just as much, if not more. It was of no surprise then that even on a miserable Tuesday night, a good handful of tables had been taken by locals who know it by now, perhaps in need of being cheered up.  That’s certainly what the staff, and owner Chandra, does! With his eclectic air, his tweed cap and dark sunglasses on top, I could imagine him as a DJ which all adds to the relaxed Ibiza cool Thai beach vibe - as do the music and cocktails! I remember these with fond memories from my back-packing days in Thailand & happily the cocktails here were just as good. The Tequila spiced chilli passion fruit cocktail warmed me up immediately, I would never have picked a chilli cocktail but with the tangy passion fruit it was sublime, the kick just spot on. We tried an iCloud too - gin, cucumber, and apple – fruity and delicious.

I’m pleased for the owns Chandra and Lorena because it hasn’t been an easy ride for them – it’s quite an endearing story as it all started when Chandra went to hospital & then invited a nurse in to have dinner as a thank you. But in between the lockdowns, he offered nurses a great discount – the restaurant wasn’t eligible for a government grant because his business was new, but his delivery went well so he started pushing that – then he eventually reopened.

Back to our dinner. So, the cuisine itself is Asian Fusion – Thai and Indonesian. It’s flexible in its dining offering with small plates or main dishes but beware, the small plates are generous (like the owner’s spirit) so I had to give up in the end on my main as it beat me after all the starters. These included chicken satay, a rich peanut crunchy topped chicken with beansprouts. Yummy. The Thai spiced cauliflower had a crunch, it was the perfect vegan dish but matched in flavour by the sweet potato tempura. I had never had sweet potato as tempura, but I genuinely think it works better than fish or other veg as I had tried before. Or maybe it was the way it was done!  Fish cakes were traditionally Thai, succulent, and moist. The crispy tempeh (soya bean curd) was I have to say, outstanding - smooth and crispy and this comes from someone who has never enjoyed any kind of tofu or bean curd yet!

In essence, I think that this is one of these Brighton independent family run eating spots that needs valuing and protecting - this charming couple juggle kids and the restaurant 6 days a week without any real help. Also worth a mention is that the menu is nearly all vegan or gluten-free but you can add meat or fish etc to your dish hence meaning it’s easy to eat out in a group with mixed requirements.

Whilst I would love to go back to Thailand and Indonesia tomorrow, I am happy to visit Chandra in the meantime and enjoy the mouth-watering dishes on offer at Longrain.

Marta