Blanc goes back to Nahm

Before entering NAHM, I had a panic attack. For one week I was to replace la Grande Dame, Fay Maschler, during her holiday.

The panic became more acute when I realised I must write intelligently and memorise the minute details of all the dishes and their components; the welcome, the service, the bar, the wine, the feel of the room, its lighting, its mood, and so on. It was a lesson in humility. On reflection, I opted not to write notes and chose the hard way - memorise everything.

I was one of the first to visit Nahm two years ago when it opened. The elegant dining room was crowded - among the guests were chefs keen to assess the competition and critics with pencils sharpened.

It was a memorable introduction to chef David Thompson's cuisine. The meal was excellent, actually the best Thai food I had had in London. I then met Thompson and he told me about the rare spices and herbs I could not recognise in my meal. We also discussed the virtues of certain techniques, the difficulties to access the best produce and, of course, our changing world - fusion versus tradition, organic versus genetically modified, and so on.

He is a quiet and reflective man, passionate and confident, immersed in his world of Thai cuisine, always looking for the freshest and best produce, truth and authenticity. Within a year Thompson received his first Michelin star and the approval of the London critics and guests alike (Nahm is the only one-star Michelin Thai restaurant in London).

Two days ago, I returned with my girlfriend, Natalia, and her seven-year-old daughter. A young maitre d' welcomed us and quickly made friends with the little girl. Thai cuisine is not ideal for a young palate, but in no time he had organised a tomato salad and chicken stir-fry, along with a colouring set. She remained content for the whole meal.

I ordered a Riesling Reserve 2000 from Austria produced by Dr Unger. It was crisp, with great balance. We chose the traditional Thai meal at £47 a head. Following Thai tradition, all the dishes arrived at the same time.

Out of the seven dishes, three were outstanding. First an appetiser called goi bpuu. A little mound of dark crab meat set on emerald green betel leaves. The flavours kept growing in your mouth, layer after layer. First the sweet (palm sugar), then the herby cocktail (dill, mint, lime leaf), then the sour and salty (fish sauce, galangal) and last the acid (lime juice) - all wrapped in the crunchy leaf.

A most magnificent dish, yam pak, showed superb technical ability and mastery of textures and flavours. French beans, chanterelles, radicchio, deep-fried shallots, fresh crunchy palm hearts, bitter-sweet galangal root, all supported by a delicate chilli, tamarind and sesame-seed sauce. Then, bpet dtum, duck doublesteamed to a melting texture, cooked with green Japanese melon, coriander and spring onions, all served in a light duck stock. Fresh, clean and completely delicious.

All the other dishes were good, some very good. They included ma hor, dtom khaa het, geng jeut ba chor. The only dish which unsettled me was a spicy red curry of guinea fowl; geng prik Thai orn gai heun.