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There’s probably only one chef in Melbourne who could get a Thai Airways upgrade simply by queuing for economy seats on a plane. His name is Eddie Goosag and, since 2021, he’s been running a small Asian grocery and Thai eatery alongside his wife, Joy Pongjan, on a quiet part of Keilor Road, just east of Niddrie’s hubbub.

Before that, though, Eddie and Joy had a Thai restaurant and catering outfit in the city that supplied Thai Airways workers with dinner when they overnighted in Melbourne. For more than a decade, the flight and cabin crew would arrive at their hotel, followed soon after by their favourite stir-fries, curries and noodles. It was quite an endorsement for the quality and authenticity of Eddie’s food.

That all stopped in 2020 but if the couple take a flight back to Thailand, there’s still the likelihood a fond staff member will spot the people who made them such delicious pad Thai and Massaman beef, bringing them a taste of home when they were far from it.

The offering is on a smaller scale at Thoong Thong (it means “money bag”, like the fried pork and vegetable dumplings you can eat here). There are compact aisles of groceries, mostly Thai, Korean and Chinese, and a few dining tables in front of a busy kitchen with a fiery wok station.

Most food orders are via delivery app but eating in the simple dining area means your food is served within seconds on proper crockery. You also have the pleasure of watching the care put into every dish.

It would be easy for Eddie to take three steps to the grocery shelves and open a jar of spice paste but no, he makes the curries from scratch. He could keep the freezer stocked with premade fish cakes but he prefers to pound fish fillet, makrut lime and red chilli to his own recipe. The food is light, bright and fresh with dancing flavours.

Pad krapow is a stir-fry of minced meat – I had chicken – with holy basil, ground chilli, garlic and coriander. Eddie is fanatical about getting it to taste just like you’d find on the streets of Bangkok.

It’s a similar tale with the pad Thai, a noodle stir-fry expertly balanced with sour tamarind, salty fish sauce and sweet palm sugar.

The crisp pork belly with Chinese broccoli is a labour of love, the meat steamed, dried, roasted and finally fried before tossing with the greens.

Black pepper soft shell crab combines silky sweetness, golden crunch and well-judged punch.

There’s no dessert but nearby Gelato Lulamina is worth a stroll (have a scoop of Dubai chocolate).

Thoong Thong is a modest place but it’s a beautiful example of a family business run with pride, passion and skill. I may not captain an Airbus but I’m happy to declare this a first-class experience.