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BANANAS BISTRO Hidden high in the tropical rainforest, this charmingly boho restaurant, tel: (1-869) 469 1891, features a wraparound veranda and art-filled interior. The menu mixes Spanish, North African and even Thai flavors with Caribbean ingredients to delicious effect. Don't miss the spiced lobster cakes...
...undergoing a six-month apprenticeship with a "gruff old guide" called Sombat Janpetchara, the daughter of a palace chef. "She cooked with poise and elegance and a definition of taste that made other foods seem ordinary," Thompson recalls. He returned to Sydney to start his first restaurant, Darley Street Thai, to rave reviews. A decade later he opened Nahm in London, the first Thai restaurant with a Michelin star...
...Despite the acclaim, Thompson still pounds the streets for inspiration. "Street food is not always purely Thai food," he tells me on a stroll through Bangkok, his second home after London. "It's often food that's been imported from other cultures and assimilated." Satay hails from the Malay-speaking world. Khao man gai, a popular chicken-and-rice dish, was introduced by 19th century immigrants from China's Hainan province; their descendants still sell it on Bangkok streets. Pad Thai, perhaps Thailand's most recognized dish, is also indebted to China. "It's Chinese noodles stir-fried, but with...
...Street food can also be deceptively complex to make, as Thompson's often dauntingly long recipes suggest. The one for rolled noodles with pork lists 30 ingredients, not including the chili sauce. The recipe for Thai cupcakes is, by my count, 1,059 words long. Another 278 words and you've got the Declaration of Independence. The book's detailed appendix reveals everything from how to choose, crack and eviscerate a coconut to tips on how to impart a subtle aroma to your satays (spoiler: apply coconut cream with a lemongrass-and-pandanus-leaf brush...
...where does Thompson eat when he's in Bangkok? "I raid the streets. I rarely cook. Why would I?" That will change later this year, when he opens another Nahm in the city's chic Metropolitan Hotel. His book, meanwhile, might help arrest a worrying trend. So many Thais now eat out that the culinary arts of their ancestors are neglected. Are they - gulp - forgetting how to cook? "I think some Thais are," says Thompson. "They're not forgetting how to eat." Nor are they forgetting how to read. One day, perhaps, Thai Street Food will become the definitive reference...