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 Singaporean 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. Thompson received the "London Chef of the Year" award at the Carlton Evening Standard Food Awards in 2003. In 2010, he opened a second branch of Nahm in another hotel belonging to the COMO Hotels group, the Metropolitan in Bangkok. In 2012 Thompson closed Nahm London to concentrate on Nahm Bangkok. In 2014, Nahm was listed as Asia's best restaurant and remained on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list for seven consecutive years. Nahm was awarded a Michelin star in 2017 when the Michelin Guide