It is a couple of hours after you’ve eaten at Long Chim — after the excitement of sipping excellent cocktails, the thrill of sitting in a room that’s a little like a Thai nightclub without the sleaze, and the weirdness of visiting the unisex toilets has passed — that the depth and complexity of the dishes you’ve eaten starts to dawn on you.

Mmm, you might think, reflecting on the noodles and salads and eat-with-your-hands snacks you’ve devoured, there was subtlety in this dish, a resonance in that sauce, a depth of flavour in that curry that sets your brain ticking over.

So then, just when you thought Sydney Thai food could give you no more, or at least nothing new, here’s Long Chim, and the parameters have moved. And that’s exciting.

Perhaps it’s not surprising Long Chim’s opening provokes us to reconsider Sydney’s Thai food scene. Its owner and chef David Thompson, a born-and-bred Sydneysider who now principally resides in Bangkok, is considered the world’s leading expert in Thai cuisine. His Nahm restaurant appears regularly on the esteemed World’s 50 Best Restaurant’s list, and this local Long Chim is one of a chain of Thai outlets that stretches from Singapore to Perth.

Thompson says Long Chim is designed to offer relaxed, casual street food in a fun, bar-like setting.

I have to say the prices may make those who have eaten street food in Thailand blanch — $24 for a scattering of small if wondrous fish cakes with a cucumber relish or $38 for a mashed prawn red curry are the sort of prices that would make Thais rebellious. But hey, we’re in Sydney, not Bangkok, and rents and wages are steep. Still.

The menu is split between dishes to share, and those you have to yourself, although I suspect most will share whether advised to or not. And it would be a shame to have just one thing, when each dish is so unique that many are worth sampling.

Start with crunchy prawns ($20), a brimming bowl of flash-fried school prawns, to be snappily chowed down as though on a Phuket street corner in summer. Then, “Prin’s noodles” ($34), a take on pad see ew, with wide slippery rice noodles wok-tossed with pork and prawns made lively with sriracha and oyster sauce. A classic street dish gone a bit posh.

The mashed prawn curry is a beautifully complex stew of turmeric and coconut with a hint of heat. Or if you want a challenge, go for the ugly-looking baby squid ($34) that comprises the little molluscs in ink, plenty of chilli and holy basil for extra tingle. Ouch.

A salt-crusted silver perch ($38) retains its muddy river flavour and comes with a sour tamarind sauce that’s otherworldly. Would you pay $32 for fried rice with crab? Maybe not when jasmine rice ($3) is fine.

Thompson last cooked in Sydney in 2000 at Sailors Thai, and since those days this city’s understanding of Thai food has moved on. With outlets like Spice I Am, Chat Thai and Khao Pla firing up the local Thai scene the question may be, does Sydney still need Thompson?

I think the answer is yes. His take is singular and considered, his food layered and subtle, each dish unique. Welcome home, chef.

This review originally appeared on dailytelegraph.com.au.