Expat Australian chef David Thompson’s plans to open a third branch of his Thai street food restaurant, Long Chim in Australia, this time in Melbourne.

Thompson, who runs Nahm Bangkok, currently ranked at 22 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, is due to open a Sydney version of Long Chim, which has branches in Singapore and Perth, next month. Today James Packer’s Crown hotels group announced Thompson will open the Melbourne outpost of his casual Thai restaurant and bar along the Crown Riverwalk in early 2017,

Thompson career began 25 years ago in a Newtown pub with Darley Street Thai, followed by Sailor’s Thai in The Rocks in 1995. He is concerned a world expert on Thai food, having written the definitive cookbook on the cuisine.

The chef left Australia to open Nahm in London in 2001, and is now rolling out Long Chim across Australia.

Long Chim means to “come and taste”. His restaurant in Martin Place marks his return to the city after 15 years. The Crown branch will be his first restaurant in Melbourne.

“I have always wanted a place here and now soon I will,” he said.

He joins the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Nobu Matsuhisa, Neil Perry and Guillaume Brahimi at Crown.

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