Nahm

I didn't mind nahm when I waltzed in for lunch in London. I was honestly impressed. It's not the Michelin star(s) I care about. (It's lost it anyway.) When I choose a dining venue, those stars mean absolutely nothing. In fact, they tend to make me avoid said restaurants. That meal in London was simply based on the strength of recommendations from my Thai friends who regularly do the Bangkok-London routes. Ever since nahm opened in Bangkok, I haven't managed to get there for a meal. This trip, dinner reservations were arranged the moment I decided to fly in, which is kinda perfect. 2 years on, and I shall see how it has been keeping the standards.

The opening of nahm in Bangkok in 2010 caused a flurry of heated discussions, especially after its Australian owner David Thompson panned Thai cuisine as "decaying" and took it upon himself to singlehandedly 'revive it'. Many Thais are still offended. Can a non-Thai chef cook Thai food? From the one London meal, I believe David Thompson can. Which is why it's interesting to taste his creations in Bangkok. (Not going into the debates of only Thai chefs can cook Thai food; Italians cook the best pasta; Spanish do the best paellas; Indians cook the best Indian meals; Hong Kongers cook the best Cantonese roasts, Malays cook the best nasi padang...et cetera. Seriously, which country can claim to do the best Hainanese chicken rice or beef in soup noodles? It's a passionate can of worms.)

My more forgiving Thai friends have given Bangkok's nahm the thumbs up, but it's still not a restaurant on their priority list they would bring visitors to. This is Bangkok. There're many options for wonderful Thai food. When I tried its food, I understood why, politically, culturally and food-wise. This nahm, imho, is far superior to London's in terms of creativity and a slightly more adventurous use of ingredients. The food is very eager to please Thai tastebuds and it will never let itself be criticized as not authentic. With a contemporary twist to the interpretation of traditional recipes, the food doesn't lose its authenticity or traditional flavors. Even though there're some odd combinations, David Thompson, who possesses an artist's temperament and may come across as brusque, clearly understands Thai cooking styles and the usage of spices. He's in no way superior or inferior to Thai chefs. He's perhaps, I daresay, an equal.

Make no mistake, they don't dumb down the chillies here. The dishes that are supposed to be chilli-hot will set your lips aflame. Piquant, fiery and stirring, the spices make your tastebuds come alive. Every mouthful is an explosion of flavors. To be honest, my palate's pretty jaded, and fairly tame nowadays. But nahm made them come alive again. Plating isn't a huge concern. Presentation is unpretentious yet chic. Meshing the flavors to bring out the underlying taste of the vegetables/meats/fish is the focus of the entire meal.

I was disappointed with the soup. They don't seem to do tom yam soups here. Rather, not quite what I was looking for. My hot and sour soup with straw mushrooms, lemongrass, chilli and lime (they do a version without chicken) was plain weird. It was kinda sour, kinda spicy...but it wasn't the familiar clear tom yam soup I was hoping for. :(