Australian chef David Thompson has been conquering the culinary world ever since word spread about Nahm, his multi-award winning Bangkok restaurant which is regularly considered as one of the best dining spots in all of Asia. After nearly two decades with the Nahm brand, originated in London, Thompson has decided to bid farewell to the highly regarded institution, which he founded in collaboration with Como Hotels.
Bangkok’s Nahm opened in 2010, after which Thompson closed his London restaurant two years later. Since then the chef has been lauded for his examination and interpretation of royal Thai cuisine, easily watching Nahm become one of the most recognisable regulars in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, even leading to a lifetime achievement award in 2016.
Though he is best known in Australia now for his Long Chim brand – in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – Thompson has been a regular presence in this country’s dining scene for a very long time. Preceding Nahm London was Sydney’s Darling Street Thai, which closed shortly before the chef moved to the UK.
“Nahm grew into an extraordinary restaurant with its success acknowledged in so many ways”, wrote Thompson. “I believe that this has been due to the hard work and talent of all those involved, but most particularly the staff. For me, the most rewarding aspect is that Nahm has been a happy restaurant. Even as Nahm’s reputation grew, refined its service and succeed as a business, the restaurant always retained its sense of sanuk; the pleasure in looking after customers. The application of culinary integrity in the kitchen was never to the cost of the joy in doing what we all loved. This is what I will always remember. It is a rare restaurant that can achieve all of this”.
Though Thompson will be leaving the Nahm kitchen next month (with last service being 30th April), the chef will continue to work and grow within the food industry, particularly through the Thai food group Aylmer Aaharn, which he co-founded in 2014 and has seen it grow to the point where the group is now running operations across six countries, including Thailand and Australia.
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