MELBOURNE | Surachai Kunchairattana has been a busy man. In the space of a few years he’s opened Thai restaurants Pick Prik, Heng, Aung Lo, and Lang Baan in Melbourne’s CBD. I recently popped in to Lang Baan, located on what’s rapidly become a diverse hot spot for lovers of regional Asian food, for What’s on Melbourne.
Lang Baan sets itself apart from the other venues by offering a broader selection of dishes from across Thailand, served with a bit more flair. The space is bright and colourful, with large floor to ceiling windows letting in lots of natural light. Assorted Thai knick knacks line a large shelving unit which separates the kitchen from the main dining space.
It’s favourites like pad see ew, crispy fried pork belly, assorted skewers, tom yum soup, and a giant pad kaprao that’s prime for sharing with a group. There’s a decent selection of curries, with the red duck curry being of particular note.
Since opening in March, Lang Baan’s become particularly known for their express lunch menu. When you walk in, you’ll notice a long multi-pot bain-marie. It’s filled with a diverse selection of options, and is keenly priced. A great option for a quick, affordable lunch. The cooked to order a la carte menu is still available at lunch too.
The desserts and sweet drinks at Lang Baan are also of note. There’s all of the classics, plus things like Thai milk tea bingsu with DIY toppings; and slushies. The latter comes in flavours like brulee, grass jelly, and bread toast milk tea; and lod chong (cendol) coconut.
Lang Baan
1 Rose Lane
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: 0466 144 888
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 12:00pm to 3:00pm; 5:00pm to 10:00pm