- Venue: Long Chim
- We loved: the celebration vibe
- We weren’t expecting: to send out a search party for sugar snaps
Sometimes you just know an evening out is going to be fun, based purely on the guest list. That was the case recently when my spouse and I joined another loved-up couple for dinner at Long Chim in the city. With anticipation running high, for both the company and the venue, we weren’t disappointed.
Celebrating its 10th birthday at State Buildings this year, Long Chim feels like it was designed for celebration. It has energy. It has atmosphere. Or, as the cool cats might say, it’s got rizz. Long Chim doesn’t just deliver food; it brings a whole extra layer of buzz to the table, like two more guests who’ve shown up to keep the party going.
Even the descent into its underground lair sets the tone. Sliding into our table, we clocked a wonderfully mixed crowd of diners of all ages and group sizes, all clearly caught up in the same vibrant energy.
We ordered a glass of Ricca Terra Prosecco (SA) to toast the evening and dived into the menu. With its modern Thai street food focus and share-style format, it’s perfect for sampling a variety of dishes while keeping the conversation flowing.
Staff are charming, but human. A pet hate of mine is when staff choose not to write down the order. It makes me nervous in case a dish goes missing. Sure enough, our stir-fry sugar snaps never arrived, despite being confirmed at the table. A quick check later revealed they’d never been entered into the system.
I knew it.
Every. Time.
But the sugar snaps going MIA weren’t enough to dent the night. The dishes that did arrive more than made up for it. The roast duck was a standout: rich and flavoursome, its pickled ginger plum sauce and choy sum cutting perfectly through the richness. Chef’s kiss. The prawn pad thai was another showstopper and downright conversation-interrupting worthy. Add in tender chicken satay skewers, a comforting sweet potato and vegetable curry, and the classic ‘jasmine rice for the table’, and we had ourselves a feast.
By the end of the night, our table was a happy mess of empty plates, clinking glasses, and plenty of laughter.
Long Chim remains one of Perth’s best for a reason. It’s fun, it’s flavour-packed, and it knows how to turn dinner into a celebration. Whether you’re marking a milestone or just in the mood for a lively night out, Long Chim brings the vibe and, hopefully next time, the sugar snaps.
Disclaimer: The reviewer was not paid for this review, which has been conducted without the involvement of the venue.
