Legendary Australian chef David Thompson made his long-awaited return to the London food scene this week with the launch of Long Chim – 12 years after he closed Nahm in Belgravia and relocated to Bangkok.

Billed as a modern interpretation of the cooking found in Bangkok’s markets and alleyways, Long Chim – meaning ‘come and try’ – has taken residency on the ground floor of Hovarda in Rupert Street, Soho. There is no end date to the residency, which is expected to last into early 2025, although the original plan was to open on a permanent basis.

Head chef Patipan ‘Pae’ Jipromma has worked with David for five years at his highly rated Bangkok restaurant Aksorn. The relatively short launch menu features dishes including spicy grilled squid with pickled ginger; grilled beef skewer with turmeric, galangal and coriander; aromatic curry of monkfish with cucumber relish; and black tiger prawns baked with vermicelli, spring onions and celery.

Starters cost fro £3-£8 and main courses £14-£18, and most of the tables are kept for walk-in diners.