I
t’s not about authenticity so much as an attitude.
David Moyle’s sentiments about his food at
Longsong, the restaurant he has just opened above
(and as a complement to) Longrain in Melbourne’s
Chinatown, could be said to speak to his work as a chef
in general. It also chimes with the original Longrain
mission statement, and the way the restaurant took the
traditions of Thailand as an inspiration rather than
a goal, a mood board more than a rule book.
“I eat a lot of Thai food, but don’t have much
background in Thai cuisine, so for me to try to do
something authentic and traditional wouldn’t feel right,”
Moyle says. “The influence is in the seasoning, the
consistency of the glazes, the pungency of the flavours
and the unapologetic use of herbs as salad leaves.”
Fire is another big influence. A large wood-fired grill
is the only cooking apparatus in the Longsong kitchen
and the recipes Moyle has adapted here are designed with
coals in mind, but they’re still easily made with standard
cooking equipment. Moyle, who is best known for his
work at Franklin in Hobart, has always been a “make
your own adventure” kind of cook.
“I love figuring it out as you go. Especially this kind
of style where there’s no definitive way to do it and you
just have to watch how the food’scooking and adjust.”
Take the whole John Dory. Moyle suggests using a fish
basket (“we have about 20 of them”) to flip the fish over
the coals. But if you don’t have one, he says, a couple of
wire racks sprayed with oil will do the trick.
“These recipes are all really about being relaxed, not
thinking too deeply about it and just having a good time,”
says Moyle. “It’s the way we want people to use Longsong.”
Longsong, upstairs, 44 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, Vic,
(03) 9653 1611, longsong.com.auBack row, from left: David Moyle,
assistant manager Myfanwy Rolfe
and co-owner Lisa van Haandel.
Seated, from left: head chef
Neil Yates, wine writer Mike
Bennie, venue manager
Kim Sheridan (seated).102 GOURMET TRAVELLER