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For Joe Kitsana, hospitality is personal. He takes your booking on his own phone, does the shopping, chopping and cooking himself, and brings your dishes to the table. He even welcomes BYO ($4.50 per person) as an alternative to his good value wine list.

And while for the past eight years (before that he was as at Longrain, Sailor’s Thai and Phamish) Kitsana worked as chef, waiter and sommelier in tiny dimensions in Kings Lane, Darlinghurst, his latest premises, a short-distance away, means more space and a kitchen assistant to boot.

The food isn’t fancy, and triggers nostalgia for those who reminisce about suburban Thai food in their youth: crunchy spring rolls of chicken and black fungus, red curry of barbecue duck with apple eggplant and snake beans, and a signature six-hour caramelised beef rib with pickled mustard greens and chilli.

Then there’s the warm Greek walnut cake, a recipe from longterm friend, chef Janni Kyritsis. Like we said, it’s personal.