Just Open: Longtime, Brisbane

Fancy a larb gai hot dog with coriander mayo? How about a Thai taco? Or smoked rice noodle nachos?

The culinary style formerly known as fusion is quickly shaking off its bad rep under the steady hand and broad multicultural experience of chefs such as Ben Bertai, formerly of the Spirit House.

Bertai recently left the Sunshine Coast restaurant where he's been for four years and is heading up the kitchen at contemporary Asian diner Longtime, along with former Spirit House colleague Nathan Lastevac. The pair met when they worked together at Melbourne's Longrain.

With its entry via an alleyway off Ann Street, Longtime seats about 60 plus the same again at the bar. It officially fires up the burners tonight.

Bertai's menu ranges from bar snacks such as the aforementioned hot dog, nachos and tacos to betel leaf wraps, baos and "60-minute son-in-law eggs".

The short and spicy curry list includes coconut and turmeric Moreton Bay bug, ground beef yellow curry and barbecued duck and dehydrated lychee curry.

Meaty mains include smoked chicken served with house-made sweet chilli sauce, dry-rubbed pork ribs with tamarind and black pepper barbecue sauce with caramelised pineapple chunks. The East-meets-West roasted lamb shoulder comes with massaman gravy, pickled onions and kipfler chips.

There's an appropriately Asian-food-friendly wine and cocktail list as well as Singha and Chang beers plus an in-house brew called the "Horny Elephant Ale". A portion of the sale price goes to support elephant conservation and rehabilitation efforts in south-east Asia.

Part-owner Tyron Simon says the decor has morphed from the original plan of "an overgrown Thai workshop" to something more restrained, with rough finishes, touches of dark wood and rusted tools dotted through the greenery.

Longtime stands by its name, with the bar menu served until a respectable 1am on weekends.

Longtime opens tonight, Friday, October 31, 5.30pm-late and will open thereafter Tuesday-Sunday, 610 Ann Street, Brisbane, 07 3160 3123, longtime.com.au.