Nahm

The Halkin, 5 Halkin Street, London, SW1X 7DJ - View on a map
Telephone: 020 7333 1234

Nahm Restaurant In London
Details Image
Overall 6.2
Food 6.8
Service 7.2
Atmosphere 5.2
Value 5.7
Based on 6 reviews

what the critics say

Telegraph

Matthew Norman - 7/10

Monday, September 13, 2010 - 'Blimey, what's going on here?' spluttered my friend once a French waiter had deposited the whole bleeding lot in one go. At 60 quid a pop, you expect something more elegant and theatrical than a glorified thali...Most of it was great. The soup, velvety double-steamed oxtail with mooli and Asian celery, was a rarefied beef tea of such regal delicacy that it should have been served to Yul Brynner's King of Siam when he took to his bed. Grilled beef salad was a mingling of succulent meat with chilli, mint, coriander and other herbs and spices.

your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne

I love Thai food, but this was an extremely disappointing experience. The food was excessively salty to the point of being nearly inedible, no special flavours or textures and completely unbalanced. The wine list is horribly overpriced: Dr Loosen Riesling 2010 which cost around £8.50 in a shop being sold for £38 at Nahm. Even the ambience is a let down it feel very much like you are in the reception of a hotel.
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Henrique Soares
Overall rating 2 stars
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Sunday, January 08, 2012

Avoid. I am very familiar with high level Thai cuisine (modern or traditional royal Thai) and I can't really point out where Nahm would score. The setting and the ambiance of the restaurant is boring and not inspiring at all. It looks like they randomly placed some tables in the lobby of the hotel. Fork and knife laid directly on the wooden table that still smelled from cleaning with an old towel. The set menu was disappointing. They served all the dishes together, so half of it got cold. The presentation of the food overall is very poor. There is absolutely no love for the details or nice arrangements. There was no “rechaud” or heating plate for the plates. The taste was ok but far away from any sizzling revelation.

Even though we were invited by The Halkin Hotel as redemption for the inconveniences we already suffered at the hotel, we cancelled the dinner before finishing the main course. It really seems that the spirit of its famous chef (probably he lives far away in Bangkok) left this place a long time ago. Or they just rip off people with a great hype around a well-known name. We were very disappointed. If they really have a Michelin Star you can burn these guides.
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Christoph Rüd, Switzerland
Overall rating 3 stars
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Sunday, December 11, 2011

Went last thursday night as a birthday treat since my husband and I both love Thai. We both enjoyed the experience immensely. Decided it was better value choosing one dish out of each of the five sections rather than ordering the 60 quid Thai meal. Couldnt fault any of the food, fresh, full of texture and differing flavours. Couldnt speak highly enough of the young waiter Michael who explained each dish in great detail, made brilliant wine recommendations and whose attention to detail and service was impeccable.
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Anna
Overall rating 9 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Sunday, July 31, 2011

I went a Saturday evening with my Husband and had the Tasting menu. Excellent service, great atmosphere, loved the food. Highly recommended to people who are looking forward for a quiet conversation rather then shouting to each other due to loud music.

I loved every bit of the food.
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Andrea
Overall rating 9 stars
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, June 23, 2011

I took my wife here to celebrate our anniversary, as we got married last year in Thailand it seemed rather apt. I was a little apprehensive after reading reviews, but had no need to be. We opted for the full menu (choose 5 dishes from, each category from the a la carte, the only proviso being that you both have the same dishes) We had our salad and soup, followed by 3 other dishes, which came seperately- sure Thais have everything at once, but not at £60 a head! The price included canapes, appetizer and dessert too. Champagne cocktails, £15. Good bottle of Gewurtzraminer £50, all reasonable given the surroundings and service. Food was fantastic and so was the service. Yes it is dimly lit, but we liked it, yes it can get a little noisy, but as soft furnishings are at a minimum so it's to be expected. Not a green curry or phad thai in sight, flavours all very authentic. We would both happily return
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Hamish Thorn
Overall rating 8 stars
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Last evening I had an absolutely delicious meal at Nahm. Sure it was expensive, but then I knew that it would be expensive before I went. As Matthew Norman says, all the main courses were served at once, but then isn't this the correct way to serve a Thai meal? I honestly don't understand the negative reviews this restaurant has attracted on this site.
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Bill Montgomery
Overall rating 8 stars
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Sunday, February 06, 2011

I am not surprised to see that Nahm has finally lost the single Michelin star it has clung onto for a good few years.

Whilst the food is prepared with ingredients of the highest and freshest quality, I cannot help but feel this is a grossly exaggerated interpretation of Thai cuisine. The flavours are often perverse in their execution and the palate is often numbed by them.

We had the tasting menu for 4 persons and the main dishes were all paltry in their servings, so that each diner received only a few pieces of meat or fish each.

The desserts are also rather inedible and sometimes chefs need to adapt cuisine to the taste of the people dining there.

I am intrigued to see where the restaurant will go next and if they will try to reclaim their lost star. Perhaps it's the kickstart they need!
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Saucewich - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 4 stars
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 2
Saturday, January 22, 2011

I used to work there between 2005 and 2007 (roughly) and I simply cannot believe the bad criticism expressed by some people here. Of course, you would not expect to find Thai street food dishes in that luxury restaurant but fine dishes that have been elaborated with a lot of care. The chef, David Thompson has worked in the royal Thai court and they surely do not eat like common folks which is reflected in the dishes served in Nahm (some of them I still remember after all these years!!). As far as I remember, people often complain about dishes being too spicy or sour or .... whatever but this is only due to the fact our delicate European palates are not used to the flavours of the ingredients used in Nahm dishes (most of them coming directly from Thailand). While most restaurants in Europe like to change the very essence of their traditional cooking to please uncultured and delicate customers, some others prefer to stay genuine. As for a service in sequence, I would suggest some of you to come to Asia, that way you would see that most of the countries do serve soups, salads, etc... at the same the time rather than in sequence as this is a major cultural difference with the West. Discovering Nahm through a lunch (as someone suggested) might be the best. As for the price, I have been to worst and more expensive places than Nahm. As I did not have the chance to eat there for a while, my review reflects the fond memories of Thai food at Nahm that stayed with me until this day.
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Alex
Overall rating 7 stars
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 11, 2011

This restaurant is a very bad choice: overspiced and sour curries, inattentive service and impersonal atmosphere. Not sure how it made it into the Good Food Guide! It is incredibly overpriced too, don't waste your taste buds and money here!!
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Marta
Overall rating 3 stars
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Saturday, December 04, 2010

I found this restaurant in the good food guide which has to date been faultless, it scored a three and has a michelin star.

The process of reservation and confirmation of reservation was perfect.

The bar was an awkward adjunct to the hotel and somewhat disappointing.

The welcome was good and we were shown promptly to our table.

Bad points: The waiter seemed uncertain whether he was a doctor or a waiter, he asked us if we had any allergies and repeatedly warned us how spicy our choices were and advised us to order something different.

The wine, a £30 bottle of valpolicella was good.

Starters: three of us had the pigeon salad: terrible, far too much chilli and at the end of the cooking process it was extinguished in cumin that left the meat tasting bitter and dry.

Main course: Red curry -good; seabass - yummy; spicy venison way too hot and dry, partridge curry - too hot, too much lemongrass, too bitter.

Desert: I can't remember what it was called but smelled of peanuts/duck - strange juxtaposition.

Price £80 per person.

We would not return
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Overall rating 5 stars
Food 2 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Saturday, December 04, 2010


what the bloggers say

London Eater

London Eater

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 - All in all, I had a good meal at Nahm. There were certainly highlights but at the same time, there were a few dishes where I felt could have been better. You’ll forgive me for my biasness being a complimentary meal, however in my struggle for the ever objective opinion, I found the flavours lacking balance. Given that Thai flavours of strong on strong is a difficult one to manage and to get right, I felt that every dish seemed to have a tad too much of an overriding component.

World Foodie Guide

World Foodie Guide - 7.5/10

Monday, April 13, 2009 - Some of the dishes at Nahm were lovely, apart from the salted chicken wafers and seabass curry. After dinner, my friend and I tried calculating how much the meal would have cost us. Including pre-dinner cocktails at the bar and service charge (we didn’t have any more alcohol during dinner, only bottled water), it would probably have cost around £170.00. It is very expensive to eat at Nahm, so if you want to sample the menu, it might be advisable to book for lunch instead.

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