Jun 5, 2026 – 9.00amIt’s a dreary autumn day in a drab part of town and Alex Lee has taken me to the type of joint where, when he lived in inner Sydney, he’d find himself alone, pondering his future. Specialising in Northern Thai food, Khao Soi is a cosy upstairs bolthole, overlooking busy Liverpool Street. Now, whenever they’re in town, it’s a favourite spot for him and his fiancee, Cake, who’s Thai.“One of the specialities is pork blood jelly,” Lee, 38, says as we take a seat near the window. “It’s an acquired taste, but it’s a bit messy.” I imagine it was one of those dishes he tucked into with gusto in the early days of his courtship with Cake, but not so much now. I’m up for anything, and so let him do the ordering.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Greg BearupSenior writerGreg Bearup is a senior writer for The Australian Financial Review. Send encrypted tips to gregbearup_1234.09 on messaging platform Signal.Fetching latest articles