Thai master David Thompson in conversation

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One of the most exciting chefs to be in town for the Sydney International Food Festival was the witty and erudite David Thompson. If you aren’t familiar with Thompson, the caffeine-fuelled chef is the father of Thai food in Australia and one of the main reasons that Sydneysiders have a taste for good spicy Thai food rather than creamy bland green curries.

He is consultant to the one Michelin star Namh in london and is about to move to Thailand permanently with his longterm partner Tanongsak Yordwa.

Thompson was in Sydney back in October to play host to several of the SIFF sessions but also to launch the superb Megachef fish sauce and his doorstop of a $100 book Thai Street Food. I was lucky enough to met him again for the Melbourne launch of Megachef in Decemberat Longrain where we were treated to some of his awesome food where the assembled press (including The australian’s John Lethlean) picked the bones of crisp fried fish clean.

I recorded this interview for a story I’m writing for SBS Food outside Sailor Thai in Sydney so it’s pretty rough. But it’s worth a listen to 30 minutes of Thompson’s views on cooking. Just click on the link to either listen here or download.

David Thompson on Thai food, El Bulli and pretty much everything

Checkout my previous postcasts with Heston Blumenthal, Thomas Keller and Sat Bains.

Ed Charles is a journalist and digital consultant who spend the better part of the part two decades in Australia. He trained with IPC in London and has written for major international and national business and lifestyle titles. Establishing this blog in 2005, he was one of the first of a handful of food bloggers in Australia. He's spoken at the Melbourne Writers Festival and Emerging Writers Festival and has broadcasted regularly on food and digital media issues. He is currently writing a history of mankind told through food.