A Sunday evening and the State Buildings basement is a throng with lucky diners. Like us, they’ve snatched an online booking at David Thompson’s first Australian restaurant in 14 years. There’s fervent snapping of the Thai street art, the well-drilled bar crew shaking and swirling the Thai inspired cocktails, and of the chefs at work in the open kitchen. From our vantage point the kitchen isn’t a hectic melee: chefs tasting, conferring and tasting again. A good sign. Front of house service is attentive and assured, our Thai server sharing her favourites from the menu. Thompson’s operation is slick, bringing in a team from Long Chim, Singapore and Nahm in Bangkok, alongside new recruits.

The Gap Kao menu of sharing dishes is populated by favourites from Long Chim, Singapore; the plan being to further plump out the menu over time. Open betel leaf parcels of fried prawn, ginger and toasted coconut is hands on. Sweet, pungent mouthfuls of tamarind and palm sugar with pleasant heat. Beef skewers marinated in cumin, coriander and turmeric are tender, moreish and incidentally, available at the bar for those wanting to get a pared down taste of Long Chim without a booking.

Then there’s the Chiang Mai Larp of chicken. A dish that comes with multiple warnings on heat; three to be exact. Heed the warning. Layered with black, white and long pepper, as well as chilli it’s scooped up in cabbage leaves and eaten by hand. Mouth and lips radiating there’s masochistic delight in the larp.

A simple golden broth of minced prawn and pork with shitake mushrooms and Chinese cabbage soothes after the onslaught, like the best chicken soup hug on an under the weather day. Duck on the bone, in a rich red curry brings the tempo back up with fragrance and bitter eggplants.

Dessert, so often the footnote to a meal is anything but. Banana roti ticks the sweet boxes as does the Thai coffee ice cream, while for those looking for the Thompson experience, durian ice cream is in no way toned down for the Aussie diner. A fruit, which divides diners and challenges the critic to pick the descriptors. With notes of paraffin, onion and decay you’d hardly think it would come with a recommendation, but there’s something mind altering about durian: Foul smelling, beguiling, a must try.

In a very short space of time Long Chim has become a go-to that feels like it’s an established player. In time that sense will only grow, as the ranks of those who can and cannot handle the larp and the durian swells.

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