David Thompson (chef)


David Thompson is an Australian chef, restaurateur and cookery writer, known for his skill and expertise in Thai cuisine.

Career

Thompson made his name at Darley Street Thai in Sydney, which he opened in 1992 in Darley St, Newtown upon his return from living and working in Bangkok for several years. He then opened Sailors Thai in 1995, also in Sydney. The success of these restaurants got him noticed by hotelier Christina Ong, who asked him to open a restaurant in one of her COMO hotels.
Nahm opened in 2001 in The Halkin hotel in London, and received a Michelin star within six months. It was the first Thai restaurant to gain this award. In 2010, he opened a second branch of Nahm in another hotel belonging to the COMO Hotels group, this time the Metropolitan in Bangkok. In 2013, Nahm was listed as Asia's 3rd best restaurant and was recognized as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world.
In 2014, Thompson was the headline chef for the inaugural Wonder Feasts series at the first Wonderfruit festival, in Thailand.
In 2015, Thompson was interviewed on Bloomberg Television series High Flyers in Singapore.
Thompson's restaurant, Long Chim, has locations in Singapore, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. In 2018, he opened Aaharn in Hong Kong.

Personal life

Thompson is gay and is married to his Thai business partner, Tanongsak Yordwai.

Books

Thompson has also written a book, Thai Food, a comprehensive account of Thai cuisine, covering its history and role in society, as well as numerous recipes and menus. His latest book is called Thai Street Food and it is a collection of his favourite 100 recipes of the street.