Thailand-based Australian chef David Thompson, the man who brought Thai Street food to this country, has confirmed he will open his “Bangkok in Perth”, in Sydney.

Long Chim (see our review here) means to ‘come and taste’, and now Sydney can too. The doors are expected to open mid-August this year and will be the first time in more than 15 years that David Thompson has operated a restaurant in his home town.

“At Long Chim we want to capture all the excitement and tastes of the streets of Bangkok. Long Chim is intended to be fun, ‘sanuk’ as the Thais say, with food and drinks that everyone loves. Our menu [has] the dishes that many Thais miss the most when away from home,” the chef says.

“So now you know. It’s been an open secret for a while, but now it’s out and it’s official.”

Thompson opened Long Chim in Perth in December last year at Perth’s restored State Buildings. Far from the refinement of Thompson’s Bangkok dining opus, Nahm, Long Chim is a tightly packed basement and inner courtyard.

It’s the second restaurant under that name following the opening of a Long Chim in Singapore in February 2015, the restaurant marked the return of one of Australia’s favourite food exports.

In Sydney Long Chim will be located in a former storage basement underneath 10-14 Martin Place, Long Chim’s entrance is on Angel Place in Sydney’s CBD.

The 190-seat restaurant and bar will feature multiple levels and includes a large open plan kitchen, a cocktail bar, and a mix of intimate dining alcoves, communal style tables and counter seats. The space has been designed by Kelly Ross of The Gentry and will feature collaborative work by Thai and Australia-based artists.

David and his partners have combined once again with FJM Property to develop and operate Long Chim Sydney as they have done at the State Buildings in Perth.