Bite-sized mouth watering betel leaves, the famous egg net, sticky caramelised pork hock and aromatic curries make an international appearance.

According to Executive Chef Griff Pamment, the Tokyo outpost in Ebisu will serve the same delicate blend of Thai and South East Asian influences, taking inspiration from the local, seasonal produce in Japan.

“In Tokyo, people eat, as the Thai people eat. They are more inclined to eat a single bowl of noodles at lunch and then eat a more banquet style, shared dinner at night,” Griff says.

“You get access to everything in Tokyo. The best fish and seafood, plus produce coming from all over the world. But some Thai ingredients are very hard to find. There is a mind-blowingly great selection of noodles here, but when I go out looking for a flat rice noodle – everyone glares at me like I’m alien,” Griff says.

But the one burning question everyone asks, is whether Longrain Tokyo will be toning down the “chilli factor” for locals? “No, we are not. We are hitting the same level as we do in Sydney and people are responding really well. I was told I had my work cut out for me here – because the Japanese customer won’t like coriander, spicy food or too much chilli, but I’ve discovered there are plenty of people in Tokyo that love spicy food and love coriander. They also love the abundance of herbs in our food and they how light and healthy the Longrain food feels.”

Besides long hours of noodle hunting and tasting, Longrain’s menu was quite easy to transpose for a Chef like Griff. He got his chops down working at Rockpool, Longrain, Kylie Kwong and Sean’s Panorama, before helping Bill Granger to open his restaurants in both Tokyo and London.

“We have made adaptations on some of the recipes, and it’s quite good because I am working alongside my Chef de Partie, Hide Ohata, who is a traditional ramen chef. He is a noodle expert, and he’s actually helped me source eggs noodles that are a bit toothier, with some more bite to them, which is what the locals like,” Griff says, which are best served with these colourful cocktails.

“If I have learnt anything opening places overseas it’s that you don’t try to replicate, you try to recreate,” Griff says. “Our rice and noodle sets come out with a spicy green papaya salad and your choice of classic pad thai, ba mee pork noodle and the Chiang Mai noodle,” he says.

“At Longrain Tokyo we have created a Japanese style lunch time set menu made up entirely of noodles, curry and rice dishes. We are doing a Khao soy chicken, a Chiang Mai style chicken noodle; we have some grilled chicken satay, crab fried rice and a green curry of prawns,” he says. One dish Griff has developed is dry noodles, with a slow cooked sliced pork which is served with toppings like crunchy wontons, pickles, bean sprouts, soft boiled egg, lots of herbs and chilli vinegar to give it a lift and a kick.

“I’ve found wherever you go you need to have fresh eyes with everything you ever do. It often feels like re-inventing the wheel, but in the process sometimes you can create something really magic!” Longrain Tokyo Level 39, Yebisu Garden Place, Ebisu Address: 〒150-0013 東京都渋谷区 恵比寿4丁目20-3 http://longrain.im-transit.co.jp/ INTERIOR BY Lucchetti Krelle http://www.luchettikrelle.com/