Which is the more authentic? Above, long, thin spicy spring rolls at David Thompson's Long Chim.
Thailand has numerous charms, many of which are highly distinctive. There are the beaches, the sun, the smiles on so many Thai faces, and the colours and aromas of the fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers on display. And, of course, there is Thai food.
I find it the most appealing of all the many different styles of cooking in Asia. It is the heat of the dishes, nicely tempered – the best sends a tingle across my scalp. Invariably this is a mixture of the spicy and the sweet; and after a pad Thai, a red chicken curry and/or a fresh salad of green papaya, there is nothing more satisfying than a Thai dessert. What can equal a dish of sticky rice topped with slices of fresh mango?
I asked American-born chef Ken Hom, who spends several months of the year in Bangkok, about what most appeals to him about cooking in Thailand. His response was immediate: ‘Thai cooking’s particular charms are: it is very fragrant, aromatic and sexy – because it stimulates the palate so that you want more! It is the unquantifiable charms of the mixing of the distinctive spices and herbs that makes Thai cooking so distinctive.’ Thai cooking, at its best, manages to combine hot, sour, sweet and salty, in the correct proportions. David Thompson, the Australian-born chef who specialises in Thai cuisine, once described cooking Thai as ‘chasing tastes’.
Happily, the influence of The Beach by Alex Garland published in 1996 and the growing diaspora of Thais around the world has satisfied the growing demand for Thai cooking. The number of Thai restaurants globally is now close to 20,000, four times the figure in 2005, helped also by the Thai Government’s Global Thai initiative to make Thailand a food capital of the world.
What is also intriguing about this development is the appeal of Thai cooking to so many born outside Thailand, for whom the charms of Thai cooking are not obviously inherent but to whom mastering them has become a profession, almost an obsession. London has recently witnessed two such manifestations. The first is AngloThai, opened recently by John and Desiree Chantarasak. And then there is the return to London of David Thompson with a branch of Long Chim, which means ‘come and enjoy’ in Thai.
AngloThai
After a long search that began over four years ago and numerous pop-ups, the Chantarasaks have finally opened in Vinoteca’s old site on Seymour Place by Marble Arch. An open kitchen has been introduced at the rear of the ground floor but the inherent loud acoustics of the room have not been addressed. The solid wooden tables and the loud music contribute, too, and the overall level is not helped by the unforgiving Thai interior design.
We began in true Thai style with a stimulating radish cake and a couple of the slightly stodgy cuttlefish buns shown above that were black, spicy and crisp, before moving on to a dish of wok-fried aubergines with sweet basil (expensive at £22) and a dish described as of hake fish balls in a sour orange curry (£31), shown below. With a flatbread and a dish of dressed grain – neither of us were tempted by the couple of desserts which seemed neither Thai nor British – I paid a bill of £320.24 including 14% service.
This total was boosted by the almost 70% I spent, extremely happily, on a bottle of Trimbach, Cuvée Frédéric Emile Riesling 2008 for £190, having just heard some good news about my health. It was fabulous and it was only one of the gems from a list that seems to have been lovingly compiled by John’s wife, Desiree. These include a range of wines made in partnership with Nibiru in the Kamptal region of Austria, a 2016 De Montille Puligny-Montrachet (£320) as well as a Roc des Cambes 1996 (£250), a Marquis d’Angerville Volnay Champans 1996 (£320) and a 1994 Viña Tondonia from López de Heredia (£350).
On leaving the restaurant, JR was stopped by a man outside the pub next door and asked for her opinion of the restaurant. ‘More Anglo than Thai’ was her prompt response and I have to agree.
While I admire the Chantarasak’s overall ambition to open a restaurant that is rooted in Thailand but uniquely British, exclusively featuring food produced in Britain, I feel that they have taken this too far. An integral part of a Thai meal, one of its great charms in fact, is a bowl of jasmine rice at the beginning, the middle and the end of any meal, scooping up all that is left of the delicious sauces. But because it is not grown in the UK, rice is not served here but is substituted by oats and spelt, both heavier and certainly without the aroma. For me, this is the owner’s putting their hardline beliefs before their customers’ enjoyment. It reminded me of Stephen Harris, chef/proprietor of The Sportsman in Kent, when he answered my query about justifying the inclusion of risotto on his British menu: ‘Well, the Romans were here – albeit a couple of thousand years ago’. Many restaurants open with their owners long-held beliefs – mine was not to serve cocktails – but most are quickly abandoned. So too should this one.
Long Chim
A month ago, Long Chim finally opened in Rupert Street, Soho, just a few doors away from Speedboat Bar, the Thai restaurant opened by Luke Farrell and JKS restaurants in 2022 which focuses more on Bangkok’s Chinatown.
Thompson needs little introduction to these pages. After three years in Bangkok in 1986, he blossomed into the world’s best-known Thai chef, opening Nahm in Bangkok (where Chantarasak once cooked) and winning the first Michelin star for a Thai restaurant when he opened Nahm in the Halkin Hotel in London. Both these establishments are now closed, with Thompson moving on to open Long Chim in Sydney (now closed) and in Perth where I ate in 2017.
Thompson’s return to London was long planned but his opening in Rupert Street was more accidental after the owners of Horvada, an Aegean-inspired restaurant with late-night DJs, offered him their ground-floor space. This explains their shared entrance with Long Chim off to the right – and, incidentally, opposite the first branch of the American Dave’s Hot Chicken (no relation to Thompson), generating long queues down Rupert Street.
The interior has been cleverly designed, with mirrors and clear glass bottles playing a major part, to generate warmth and a busy street scene. It is loud – the ceiling is quite low – but the overall effect is that you have suddenly entered a place that is much warmer than the cold, wet street you have just left.
The menu is reasonably conventional, which is sensible given that the kitchen is new, the crowds pre-Christmas are enormous, and the staff have to find their feet. Service from a smiling Sahil was charming and efficient.
We ate and drank well even if there was not much variation of texture; it was all a little slushier than my memories of food in Thailand. Highly spiced long, thin, veggie spring rolls as shown at the top of this article; skewers of juicy squid with pickled ginger; a pomegranate salad with mint and red shallots; an aromatic curry of monkfish with a cooling cucumber relish (pictured separately); and some braised Chinese greens with bean curd. This was rounded off with a bowl of jasmine rice and two desserts, utterly comforting tapioca with coconut and corn and a slightly burnt parcel of sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf. We drank by the glass a Gewurztraminer 2022 from Boxler in Alsace that should really have been described as ‘sweet’; a 2012 Cabernet Franc from Château de Minière in the Loire; a Knoll Grüner Veltliner Federspiel and an impressive Spanish Garnacha from Frontonio for a total bill of £169.12.
Already obviously popular, Long Chim should continue to allow many more Brits to enjoy Thai cooking and culture.
AngloThai 22–24 Seymour Place, London W1H 7NL; tel: +44 (0)20 3307 8800
Long Chim 36–40 Rupert Street, London W1D 6DW; tel: +44 (0)20 3319 7750
Every Sunday, Nick writes about restaurants. To stay abreast of his reviews, sign up for our weekly newsletter.