David Thompson to return to London with Long Chim residency

Chef David Thompson is to return to the London dining scene with the long-awaited launch of Long Chim next month.

The Australian chef had tried to launch the restaurant, which takes its inspiration from the food stalls and markets of Bangkok, in London’s Chinatown in 2022, but plans reportedly fell through last year.

Long Chim, which means ‘come and try’, will operate as a residency in London’s Soho on the ground floor of Hovarda, an Aegean restaurant run by restaurateurs Levent Büyükugur and Hus Vedat.

The Aaharn Group-owned Thai restaurant also has existing sites in Australia and the Middle East.

The London residency will be headed by chef Patipan ‘Pae’ Jipromma, who is head chef at Thompson’s Michelin-starred Aksorn restaurant in Bangkok.

He has worked with Thompson for over five years and will remain at Long Chim London until the end of the residency in early 2025.

Thompson was renowned for opening Nahm in London’s Belgravia in 2001, which was believed to have been the first Thai restaurant in Europe to receive a Michelin star.

He closed Nahm in 2012 to focus on Nahm’s sister restaurant in Bangkok, which has also now closed.

Thompson has been cited as the inspiration for chefs such as Andy Oliver, who worked at Nahm London before launching Thai restaurants Som Saa and later Kolae with business partner Mark Dobbie.

Thompson said: “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 Thais miss the most when away from home. Pae and I are looking forward to opening our residency in London with our Hovarda partners.”