His charming ‘house on the klong’ was the setting for the many parties and dinners which Jim Thompson hosted during his time in Thailand. These were always major social events and over the years, Thompson’s prestigious guest list included famous names such as the author James Michener, Senator William Fullbright, Senator Edward Kennedy and his wife, Joan, Broadway Star Ethel Merman, the fashion designer Pierre Balmain, the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton and many others.

Thai food was an essential part of the dinners at the house, and guests were always delighted by the dishes featured, which often comprised traditional Thai cuisine.

Having gained international renown as Bangkok’s most ‘celebrated social center’, the house Jim Thompson built on the bank of Klong Maha Nag still preserves the spirit and legend of the man.

The cookbook – At the Table of Jim Thompson, gives readers the opportunity to bring the restaurant’s signature recipes back home with them. Dishes which used to grace these memorable parties can now be recreated in your own kitchen, allowing you to savour the flavours and ambience which were the mainstays of dinners at the Jim Thompson Thai house.

Three Jim Thompson restaurants in Bangkok – Saladaeng Café, Thompson in a Thai-style building adjacent to the Jim Thompson house, and Café 9 at the main silk shop – were established to preserve the atmosphere that prevailed at dinner parties hosted by Jim Thompson.

The restaurants seek to recreate the sparkle and effervescence that made his parties such singular affairs through their décor, service and the superb culinary creations that were always the highlight at Jim Thompson’s table. All serve a selection of Thai classics in relaxed, tasteful surroundings.