Longtime Thai restaurant to open in Fortitude Valley

One chef cooked in the Thai Royal Palace in Bangkok; another has worked for Gordon Ramsay in London. Add a south-east Asian menu, an unsalubrious alleyway entrance and an interior that's decked out in kooky Thai ephemera, and you have Brisbane's newest restaurant-to-be, Longtime.

Scheduled to open at 610 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, in July, the restaurant is a partnership between Angelo Valente (Peel Street Kitchen) and business partners Nicholas Woodward and Tyron Simon.

Simon has spent considerable time in Thailand of late, sourcing vintage pieces from what he says are “some of the most obscure markets in the country”.

“We want it to be authentic but fun; cheeky and playful while still paying respect to Thai culture,” says Simon.

The food will be pan-Asian with a Thai bent, with chef Sujitra Chubehaisong working in the kitchen along with Valente.

“We're trying to do things a bit differently. We want to try to source as much as we can directly from the farmer and to present an Asian/Thai influenced menu of food that is beautiful and unusual but humble as well. Our aim is not to be fine dining, but make sure that people feel relaxed and can come in on a Monday night and have a meal or late at night for some bar food.”

Simon says the wine list will focus on spice-friendly aromatics and boutique beers.