Once I’d switched off the recorder at Ladyboy, owners, chefs and partners in life Sumalee Sae-tang and Manpreet Singh very kindly brought out some dishes from their Beyond Bangkok menu for me to try. As we talked over the food, Sumalee began to tell me more about how much she loves what she does. I also had the chance to meet Gun, their chef, who is from southern Thailand and is enjoying sharing the food of his own region through the series’ first menu. Sumalee and Manpreet met while studying cookery in Melbourne in 2005 and took over the Richmond restaurant more than a decade later. Sumalee is from Bangkok, and their regular menu draws on the food she cooks at home. Beyond Bangkok gives the team room to explore other regions of Thailand while keeping the dishes their regulars would be very unhappy to lose. The yellow curry, I learned, has survived an attempted retirement. They love working with local suppliers, choosing produce, wines and beers for the restaurant. Sumalee still goes out every Tuesday and Friday to buy the vegetables and herbs herself. She wants to be sure she’s getting the best and freshest, and particularly loves picking out the herbs and chillies. We had talked during the recording about how much a customer’s thank you means to her. Afterwards, hearing her enthusiasm for even the shopping, I was glad we’d had time to keep talking.