Punchy, vibrant and unapologetically fiery, David Thompson’s Long Chim has arrived on the Crown Riverwalk to redefine Thai food as Melbourne knows it.

Take, for instance, the dare-worthy yet defiantly delicious chicken larb, where fried Kaffir lime leaves and crunchy garlic skins add fragrance to finely chopped chicken with a heat that leaves all in its heart-racing, vision-blurring, tear-inducing wake.

It’s just one dish on a big menu of share-style street food for which Thompson, regarded as the world’s leading authority on Thai cooking, is famed.

But it’s not just about eye-watering heat. Wonderfully elegant fried rice tossed through tender-fleshed roast duck, excellent chive cakes, or a bowl of charred noodles – a tangle of dark, chewy flavour, with tender squid, tiny fried prawns, chicken and loads of eggy goodness – are all approachable delights, while the green chicken curry, studded with bitter Thai eggplants, is benchmark brilliant.

Cocktails are an expected attraction to quell the heat, and a refreshing Thai basil smash does just that with the same efficiency as an ice-cold Singha beer.

Yup, you’ve done it again David Thompson. Long Chim is hot stuff – in every possible way.

Must eat dish: Chicken larb
Instagram: @longchim