Thai food in London is showing no sign of slowing down. Next to launch will be Long Chim, a restaurant residency from renowned Australian chef David Thompson.
The restaurant is to open on the ground floor of Hovarda in Soho and will serve an “authentic Thai menu” inspired by the street food of Bangkok.
It marks a return to London for Thompson, whose Belgravia restaurant Nahm, which closed in 2012, earned him accolades abound, including, in 2002, a Michelin star within six months of opening. It was the first Thai restaurant the world to win one.
Long Chim will be anchored in Thai food much the same, though is an altogether more casual concept with a name that loosely translates as “come and try”.
The menu has been devised by Thompson and head chef Patipan “Pae” Jipromma, with noodles, soups, fried and braised dishes front and centre. Red snapper fishcakes, wagyu beef salad, and red curry with pork belly and winter melon might be highlights.
Pae will be arriving from the award-winning Aksorn in Bangkok, part of the same group as Long Chim, which has sites across Australia, Hong Kong and Bangkok. The space, meanwhile, has been overhauled and done up in Thai-style street art; music will mimic the stalls and stands of Bangkok night markets.
Thompson said Pae is one of the most “exciting” Thai chefs cooking today and added: “Long Chim is intended to be fun, 'sanuk' as they would say in Thailand, with food and drinks that everyone loves.
“Our menu has all the dishes that Thai’s miss the most when away from home. Pae and I are looking forward to opening our residency in London with our Hovarda partners.”
Thompson had previously planned to open a permanent restaurant in Chinatown, but pulled out last year.
