tongue-‘thai’ed

June 14th, 2010

This summer, David Thompson, following the success of nahm at The Halkin in London, will be opening a second edition of the restaurant at the Metropolitan hotel in Bangkok – a return to the city that inspired his culinary path.  Following a soft opening in mid July, the restaurant will officially open by the end of the month.  Launched in 2001, nahm was the first Thai restaurant in Europe to be awarded a Michelin star.  With the move, Thompson and nahm up the ante for diners, using local ingredients and letting the infamous Thai markets guide the menus.  Key dishes will include a jungle curry with snake-headed local fish known as pla chorn indigenous to the clear waters of rice paddies.  The restaurant will also be open for lunch and, for a fun take on a popular Bangkok tradition, will feature “street food” dishes.  (Speaking of which, don’t miss the September release of Thompson’s second cookbook, Thai Street Food.)

nahm

                           Ma hor                                             Crushed prawn curry with turmeric and coconut

The restaurant will occupy the former Cy’an and will be designed by Japanese interior architect Koichiro Ikebuchi, who also designed Uma Ubud in Bali and Aoki, a heralded Japanese restaurant in Singapore.  It will feature natural wood, including screens for privacy, and warm oranges and browns with shimmering bronze plates on tables. The space will be steeped in natural daylight and, in the evening, enriched by the soft lighting of the nearby outdoor pool.  Other features include a private dining room and terrace dining.

 

David Thompson is universally acknowledged as a leading authority on Thai food. Originally from Australia, he first travelled to Thailand in 1986 and moved to Bangkok a year later.  When he returned to Sydney in 1991, he opened his iconic Darley Street Thai restaurant, and, in 1995, he followed with Sailor’s Thai, which continues today.

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