Hotel Talk with Farah Shammas · 2026-03-28 · 28 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
36 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Chef Lertnapa Mawong brings authentic Thai culinary expertise to Golden Monkey at San Rafael Resort in Cyprus. Born in Udon Thani province in northeastern Thailand to a Vietnamese father and Thai mother, she discusses her journey into professional cooking, inspired by mentors like the famously strict Chef Sentin, and her leadership philosophy that emphasizes respect and learning over fear-based kitchen management. The conversation centers on the new menu she's developing that showcases Thailand's regional diversity - northern Chiang Mai cuisine, southern Phuket specialties, Bangkok street food, and Isan village food from her home province - all while maintaining authentic preparation methods and traditional ingredients like galangal and kaffir lime. She emphasizes the importance of core Thai ingredients that cannot be compromised, the hotel's on-site herb garden for sourcing fresh Thai basil, holy basil and morning glory, and her frustration with fusion approaches that dilute authenticity. For hospitality operators and F&B directors, this episode demonstrates how authentic regional storytelling, personal culinary heritage, and proper ingredient sourcing can differentiate a specialty restaurant while remaining accessible to diverse guest palates.
Chef Lertnapa is half Vietnamese through her father, who fled Vietnam during the American-Vietnam War to Thailand. Her surname Mawong comes from her father's Vietnamese heritage, though she grew up entirely in Thailand in Udon Thani province and does not speak Vietnamese due to the historical dangers of speaking it during wartime.
Galangal and kaffir lime are the most critical ingredients in Thai curry dishes that cannot be compromised or substituted without losing authenticity. When these cannot be sourced locally, they are imported from Holland to maintain the true taste of authentic Thai cuisine.
The new menu will launch within the next month and feature four distinct regional Thai cuisines: northern food from Chiang Mai, southern specialties from Phuket, Bangkok street food, and Isan village food from Chef Lertnapa's home province, designed to reflect the different culinary experiences guests have throughout Thailand.
While inspired by the strict, feared approach of Chef Sentin, Lertnapa combines high standards and expectations with clear explanations of why rules exist and opportunities for staff to learn from mistakes, earning respect rather than fear and achieving better long-term staff retention and morale.
Guests can enjoy traditional village-style dining using sticky rice and hands to eat, and cooking classes with Chef Lertnapa are being developed to teach accessible Thai dishes like papaya salad and basil chicken that guests can recreate at home.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode contains scattered personal anecdotes and restaurant-specific details, but lacks substantive business insights or operational learnings. Most content is superficial discussion of Thai food characteristics, regional cuisines, and ingredient sourcing that would be known to anyone familiar with Thai cooking. Genuine insights about kitchen management or menu strategy are thin and underdeveloped.
The Thai food is. Have so many varieties M. But we separate variety by Jin.
Thai food we have uh. The main. The main ingredient as we can missing is only curry. In all every dish of curry, even you have red curry, green curry, panang, whatever the ingredient is have galangal.
The conversation recycles standard hospitality talking points (authentic ingredients, regional diversity, customer customization) without fresh frameworks or contrarian thinking. The idea of a regional Thai menu is presented as novel but is a well-established restaurant strategy. No counterintuitive arguments or first-principles thinking emerges from the discussion.
So I wish to do this from second year as I'm here. So I was finding the marketplace. Um, this is my wish to do here. Um, but the concept I still put authentic.
I try to use uh. A uh. Local, local uh product. Mostly I try to use like a eggplant. Whatever. I adapt.
Chef Lertnapa is a real practitioner with operational experience running a hotel restaurant kitchen and managing staff, which is relevant. However, she is not a notably senior figure in Thai cuisine at scale, and the conversation doesn't establish sufficient credentials or achievements to justify higher caliber. She's competent but not exceptional tier.
I have one icon chief he named Sentin.
So in this hotel when I walk on um Commie or see in the main kitchen Chef Swan boy is so scared of me
The episode includes some concrete details (specific herbs like galangal and kaffir lime, region name Udontani, menu categories) but lacks hard data, numbers, customer metrics, or financial evidence. Claims about ingredient sourcing and cooking methods are mostly anecdotal. Missing are specifics on menu sales, customer feedback metrics, or operational costs.
Udantani.
galangal.
Host asks mostly softball questions and rarely pushes back or probes deeper into claims. Questions are surface-level ("where does your name come from," "what's your favorite dish") rather than challenging the guest's assertions about authenticity, adaptation strategies, or operational decisions. Follow-ups are minimal and the tone is celebratory rather than investigative.
Let's talk about the ingredients that goes into Thai cooking.
What's your ultimate goal? When someone comes into the Golden Monkey, how do you want them to feel, to experience, to enjoy it?
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
Send us Fan Mail Join us with Chef Lertnapa, Head Chef at Golden Monkey, as we explore her journey from Thailand to Cyprus, her previous experience, the secrets of Thai cuisine, and the flavours that make it so unique. From signature dishes to cooking tips, this episode is full of inspiration and authenticity. Episode is available on YouTube, Spotify and iPodcast. Enjoy #HotelTalkPodcast #Hospitality #LuxuryHotels #GoldenMonkey Host Farah Shammas : Instagram Facebook Linkedin TikTok Far...
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Farah.
Speaker B: I'm Farah Shamas. Welcome to hoteltalk. We hope you enjoy listening to this friendly conversation between people connected by real life in hotels. I'm so happy to finally have you on hotel tour, everyone.
Speaker A: Uh,
Speaker B: so the first thing I want to start before we get into the restaurant and Thai food and the menu and all of the things to do with Golden Monkey. Let's talk about your name. Because I just said now. So your name, your full name is Lanapa Mawong. Um, so where does your Chinese sounding surname come from? Because you're 100% Thai.
Speaker A: You exactly.
Speaker B: But your parents are, uh. Let's go. Yeah. Tell us a bit about the origin.
Speaker A: Actually, my name is uh, two. Meaning, like, uh, is mean the mostly beautiful in the sky or something like that. Like that. And Ma Wong. Actually my surname is. You pronounce nicely. Is coming. Mao Wong Ma. It's because of. I am half Vietnamese. Mhm. And uh, my father is came from Vietnam. That m time we have war in the American and Vietnam War. So my father, uh, family, they were shifting from Vietnam to Thailand that time. And my mom also allows people in other country also the same thing. They have problem is shifting to Thailand. So they are certain there. So. But the problem is if people asking me like, hey, chef, can you speak, uh, Vietnamese or some. I said, no, I cannot because the time actually whoever speak in Vietnamese in my country in the time if they have war is going on the kill.
Speaker B: Ah.
Speaker A: Um, so I not, uh, have to learn. My grandfather is so worried whoever speak in Vietnamese.
Speaker B: Wow. And have you been to Vietnam? Now?
Speaker A: I been with my father one time in Ho Chi Minh. So after that one time, I think I did not been there. Once again, because my dad said all, um, people I know on disappear.
Speaker B: M. No one's there, uh, now. So you grew up in Thailand. You're completely Thai. Whereabouts in Thailand?
Speaker A: Um, I am not east people. M Not east people. It's a bit between Laos, Vietnam, Chinese. Then we have only one river. It's Kong river between our country, Thailand and Da. Laos, Vietnam. So actually my province is, ah, the best. The best province to stay in the world. Top ten. We are in number eight in that province. As a province.
Speaker B: It's one of the top 10 places in the world.
Speaker A: Uh, I think in the. In the one magazine they make the.
Speaker B: Yeah. So what's it called the area?
Speaker A: Udantani.
Speaker B: Udantani.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: Did I say that right?
Speaker A: Yes.
Speaker B: Wow.
Speaker A: And in. In that village, if you look properly, it's mostly foreigner.
Speaker B: Oh really?
Speaker A: American, British. Yes. Because they are married and they stay there because they're beautiful village in far from population is far from um. Like a factory that's very rural. And our food is excellent healthy.
Speaker B: Ah, well, Thai food is very healthy.
Speaker A: Yeah. Actually because we have too much health as inside. Like accept my village food. We call Isan food. As I will put in the new menu. I will launch in next month. So exciting.
Speaker B: Exciting. I can't wait for the new menu and how it's inspired by your real life and your experiences in Thailand. But before we get onto the new menu, how did you. Because life in the kitchen is tough. There's an expression in English. You know, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. And um, there are not so many women who tend to enter a career in the kitchen. There are some famous female chefs in the world, but if you look the majority are men. How did you then and what happened in your life that made you want to pursue this very challenging career?
Speaker A: I'll tend you one team. This is very difficult for female shape to glow everywhere. Every five star property. If you've been to working female shape what she can do, what she will do. Yes. This is m make my attitude. Why Whatever you can do. I also can do the same thing. You can do the walk. Exactly. I can do 10 kilo walk. No M problem. It's not because of male or female. Because of your attitude as what you want to be. I have to working and deal with so many shape. And I have one icon chief he named Sentin.
Speaker B: He was like your mentor, your hero.
Speaker A: Oh my goodness. Wherever he walk people is heartfelt. So scared people are panic.
Speaker B: Why he was like tough?
Speaker A: Uh, no, because he is. It's like if he said do this. Yeah, correct. But he just only said yes, you have to do that without explain why and people panic. He not listen. You are execute.
Speaker B: He just wanted if he walked by
Speaker A: the kitchen some komi one like a cook busy will fall down night in the hand got up scared someone is found out on that.
Speaker B: So people were fainting because they were so afraid of him.
Speaker A: Ah, that is my icon. Uh, one day I will become this
Speaker B: People will be so afraid of you.
Speaker A: I will chat people now femaleship. So then when I when I put my position up so I was very strict of my rule, my standard. But the difference as I explained to my staff and my people, I let them learn learn and do mistake. And I will tell you afterwards why I not let you do that way. So they learn people. We will keep them respect first Then they will scare of their mistake. With me it's not first I'm shouting. No I am not. But the image is like this. So in this hotel when I walk on um Commie or see in the main kitchen Chef Swan boy is so scared of me in this.
Speaker B: Yeah. Because you have a different approach.
Speaker A: Because of your different approach actually like that. So I am showing why don't tell me female chair. Because I can be above uh men shape as well. You say. I'm proud of myself as I can be as Lally. I can make my staff respect me without fear. Mhm. This is the most thing.
Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah. Respect you because they're inspired by you, not because they fear you. I love that. So let's uh. Talk a little bit about Thai food. So how would you describe if somebody wasn't aware of what Thai food is? How would you describe it?
Speaker A: The Thai food is. Have so many varieties M. But we separate variety by Jin. You know ma' am this time we are. I am like a uh. Gen. Wai.
Speaker B: Mhm.
Speaker A: Jin said now new new generation they didn't know Thailand cuisine M Or like imagine.
Speaker B: Yeah. That's how we started a golden monkey with the royal cuisine.
Speaker A: So foreigner. Well foreigner they went to my country and we have to separate the tourists rich and some medium or whatever depend on the hotel where they been like Kimpinski Mandarin oriented. Um Park Hyatt is a ah quite luxury Anantra. Ah like that this hotel they will serve you Royan cuisine.
Speaker B: Hm.
Speaker A: So in same we have loyal cuisine here. It's not too different. It's rarely item of Loyan cuisine because is telling you this is authentic. So when you come along with authentic you could not change the recipe of authentic M. This is a uh. Quite problem in the so many shape how to flexible if you did not have any ingredient. This why new generation shape they are try to include fusion food on loyal cuisine. And they will put last fusion so it might adding protein like salmon like scallop tuna on many many item of Western to inside M. But the um. The food Thai food could not spoiling. Could not spoiling by butter. Uh. You know we will not put butter in the food.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: Otherwise it will not Thai anymore.
Speaker B: It's not Thai.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: Thank goodness for me.
Speaker A: And in case that's why Thai food
Speaker B: is so famous for vegans because
Speaker A: and also now Sade people go to Thailand and they like to walk, they like to see whatever sightseeing everywhere. And you see every corner in Thailand you will see street food.
Speaker B: Uh.
Speaker A: But Thai board not you will see so many variety as I am very happy to present that to the table. Also let you have a choice.
Speaker B: Well, on that note, let's talk then about. So Golden Monkey is our Thai restaurant. Uh, I'm really proud of Golden Monkey because, you know, I love the Thai culture, I love Thai food. And um, when we were opening a specialty restaurant, I was adamant we're going to do Thai and it's going to be authentic Thai food. I didn't want to have a chef from anywhere else in the world. Had to be. And we had a chef before you and then you came and it's girl power. And I'm so proud to have you with us. And now we've got a new menu coming out. You are uh, you've been working really hard on this menu. So tell us a bit about that and your amazing idea of offering different Thai food from different regions. So the north, the south, the street food, the authentic royal. Tell us about how you've decided to include different things in the menu and why.
Speaker A: Because when I was working here and uh, I have 10% of my people coming to having food and some foreigner from London, America, from everywhere they come for tourists and they come to having food here. Oh, Chef, you didn't have this?
Speaker B: This.
Speaker A: You didn't have this, this. Some tourists, they went to South Thailand. Phuket English. Phuket Pangan. Um, south of Thailand, someone go from, go to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai. They eat not food. Some eat Thai food. Some day, three day in Bangkok street food. So this question is roaming in my mind why I not put on uh, this food in my menu like a South Thailand food. Not eat Isan on my village food and not and street food. Um, it's like we calling four season in the food of ah, Thailand. So I wish to do this from second year as I'm here. So I was finding the marketplace. Um, this is my wish to do here. Um, but the concept I still put authentic.
Speaker B: Mhm.
Speaker A: To being authentic and um, um.
Speaker B: So the menu will be launched soon. If somebody comes to Golden Monkey to try something from your new menu, what would you recommend them to have? What's your favorite?
Speaker A: My village food.
Speaker B: Your village food?
Speaker A: Yes. Because my village food is healthy and you will having food with combination with glutinate rice and some salad as you never have been. You can use your hand uh, with sticky rice and put with some salad and try to eat in the real life at least in case if you're willing to do this is fun.
Speaker B: Yeah. And so it's Such an experience.
Speaker A: Yes, good experience. And um, you know, using your hands
Speaker B: and if people get confused because they think our Thai food is Asian food and where are the chopsticks? And we're always telling people there's no chopsticks.
Speaker A: Spoons and yeah, this is a Chinese.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: My region, uh, we use chopstick. M. But the uh. Difficult for foreigner to knowing how to. Yeah, this is difficult. So no need.
Speaker B: Yeah, no need. Fork and spoon. I love that. Let's talk about the ingredients that goes into Thai cooking. I know that here and I always tell people in order to keep it authentic, whatever we can't import, we grow. So we have our own herb garden here at the hotel. So you plant all the herbs and see how that goes. Um, tell us about the ingredients. What's. What is the most important ingredient when it comes to Thai food?
Speaker A: Thai food we have uh. The main. The main ingredient as we can missing is only curry. In all every dish of curry, even you have red curry, green curry, panang, whatever the ingredient is have very important is galangal.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: And the kaffalang.
Speaker B: Mhm.
Speaker A: So this thing if we did not have here I was ordered from Holland. So I can be flexible, but the curry I cannot flexible. But mostly look I. I try to use uh. A uh. Local, local uh product. Mostly I try to use like a eggplant. Whatever. I adapt.
Speaker B: Mhm.
Speaker A: When Thai chef you work in abroad, how much you can adapt of your ingredient. You are one, you are winner. So. But between this you could not change your authentic. Just something similar. The taste we can change and make a look in authentic is win for me. I can adjust it. And second uh, thing like in my garden is I love to plant. So I plant so many things as like a hot basin. You might plant everywhere here. It's very difficult to grow and you have to know how to clothe them. Like a hot ah basin. It's not like a basin. Here you have similar like a sweet basin. But I have Thai basin, I have hot basin, I have chai. I have uh. Sometimes I plant cave and uh, morning uh, glory.
Speaker B: Mhm.
Speaker A: And many, many I use that in my food. That's why some flavor is different that I love that it is.
Speaker B: It's really interesting. I um, mean my personal favorite I always tell it is the panan curry. The tofu with panano. I just think it's so delicious. And of course people know the noodles but I think people just get so used to pad Thai and a green curry. They have the chicken green curry. These are like the Best sellers. But there's so much more. The holy basil. Uh, yeah, there's a lot of other dishes to try.
Speaker A: The signature.
Speaker B: The signature. Yeah, absolutely. And Thai food is so fresh and balanced. I mean, it is really. It's one of the healthiest, um, healthiest foods to have. So if somebody's listening to this and they want to try and cook Thai food at home, what would you recommend? How would you. What. What dish would you recommend them to make? Because it is healthy, good food. And it's. And it's. Is it fair to say it's quite easy to make or it's difficult. What would you say?
Speaker A: Easy for salad.
Speaker B: Easy for the salad.
Speaker A: And some basin chicken. Basin beef, whatever. And, uh, in case, like I have spoken with you, uh, with the FNB manager, with Andy, like, we were opening some class of, uh, cook with chip some in.
Speaker B: Like, let's do it. Yeah, you got it here first. Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker A: That I am doing.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: On my previous. So it's fun. And so many, uh, people is coming to having food here. Che, please teach me how to cook this.
Speaker B: This.
Speaker A: I love this papaya salad too much. Give me your recipe. I was apologize giving the recipe because if I am telling you some you could not do that. You won't be able to do the same way as I am doing. So in cage app, I can teach you or showing you how to do in easy way. On, um, on cooking, I would. Yeah. My next step, I might have a class of ah, cook with chef.
Speaker B: Okay, we'll plan that. Uh, cook with chef. I'm writing it down. Um, and what's your ultimate goal? When someone comes into the Golden Monkey, how do you want them to feel, to experience, to enjoy it? What's your aim? Every night when the restaurant doors open
Speaker A: at 7, mostly I would love to recommend is you, uh, cannot say like, oh, I, uh, want to. I want to recommend you this, this. But when I. I go to the table, I willing to talk like, ah, uh, I've been to your country. I have this, this, this. Chef, I would like to have this, this. Would you.
Speaker B: Can you do it?
Speaker A: Yeah. I said yes. Why not?
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: Ah, anytime when you came here, just call me. I will cook as what you wish.
Speaker B: It's the personal experience.
Speaker A: But if I willing to, uh, like, um, signature this. Uh-huh. Pad Thai clean curry is the main dish in Thai food. As the standard taste. Uh, as everyone can eat. M. This is two dishes.
Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. I ask everyone that comes on Hotel talk for their favorite quote like a Favorite saying. Maybe you have something that's a Thai expression that you can translate into English for us.
Speaker A: Actually, everywhere in the hotel we say bon appetit or, um, enjoy your meal. And. And many times I was teaching my service team to telling to the guest, like, uh, bon appetit. Like. Service.
Speaker B: Uh, what is that again?
Speaker A: Again Again, quite difficult for them. And they forget.
Speaker B: But that means good appetite. Or does it mean something else?
Speaker A: Is mean, uh, enjoy with your Mean is like it mean eat your food with happy and tasty.
Speaker B: It's some like, that's so nice. It's like a blessing or a wish.
Speaker A: If I said everyone coming. So Adika called Kun K. Thank you for coming. Is, uh, our culture, uh, to say hi and buy. But, uh, for like this, um, presentation like that you pronoun will not come. Like you can say, tell me again.
Speaker B: Let me try. Let me try here. Tell me again.
Speaker A: Yeah. Aroi. It means tasty. Yeah. Tan is mean. Eat.
Speaker B: Eat.
Speaker A: Yeah, it means bon appetit.
Speaker B: Yeah, but even like, eat with health and happiness.
Speaker A: Uh, yeah, like that stuff similar like that. It's many words if you are learning Thai language. So we have four languages. In my country, it's different flowing. It's like my country Isan. Isan. We talk in another.
Speaker B: In another dialect. And what's your favorite part of Golden Monkey? Because I spent a lot of time designing that restaurant with all the statues and the big Buddha in the middle. And I went to Thailand and I got all of the authentic, um, antiques. And, um, when you arrived in Cyprus for the first time and saw Golden Monkey, that not only is a golden monkey, but it's also the lotus flower is called Golden Monkey in Thailand. What was your impression? How. How did the restaurant make you feel?
Speaker A: First thing, when I enter, I listen the voice of the waterfall dropping. And I seen big Buddha there. So at least here is peace and feeling good, you know, like a, uh, positive vibe and feeling like, um, before you having food, like when I enter, I feeling like that. And second thing for me is, uh, garnish. Yeah, I love the garnish. Because my m. Religion not happened. My husband was Indian, so I respect too much of, uh, Ganesha. So I. I love these two things as we have in the restaurant to make people who can come to eat food with us. And you can play a God on the same time as you. Not a religion. But our Buddha, uh, did not say, you are out of our religion. No, that said, believe on you, trust on yourself and go ahead with your thoughts. M Just do not Harm, um, people. That's it.
Speaker B: Yeah. Uh, all rivers lead to the same ocean.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: The Buddhist philosophy.
Speaker A: And I love that Garnet is racing to everyone. And I m believe that. And whatever I am, take a breathing. I got it. I said if I have a luck. If I have a luck, let them stay here and do my wish of, um, this menu. It's no harm.
Speaker B: I can't wait. We can't wait for the new menu. Okay, last question. Everyone on Hotel talk gets to pick a question. I don't know what it's going to be. This is normally. I'll read a few. This is from the, um, the team at San Rafael. So somebody's written this. Let me see. Elizabeth, who's just had a baby, our uh, social media executive. So she has asked, what's the weirdest dream you've ever had that you remember? Like a weird dream dream. Yeah,
Speaker A: my dream.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: I want to be a singer.
Speaker B: A singer. Uh, I love that.
Speaker A: Yeah. I want to be a singer. One time I have been to this job, um, when I was 18, turned to 19 and my father was executive chef. He been there.
Speaker B: Your dad was an executive chef?
Speaker A: Yes.
Speaker B: Oh, now that I didn't know. Well, there's the first question for you. Why you became a chef.
Speaker A: Because my father, um, then he came with guests and he saw me in the, uh, singing a song corner. Yeah.
Speaker B: He said, come here. This is something back into the kitchen.
Speaker A: Um, and my dad said, why you were here not around then I will not see this anymore. Chat now I go home, I have big list. And then I stop everything but m in my dream. Yes, you have to be a singer. That's why every night I am singing my karaoke.
Speaker B: Oh, good for you.
Speaker A: What could I do? And my father is, uh, you know, evil like.
Speaker B: Yeah, you will be a chef. Well, thank goodness for us that he made you become a chef because we're definitely a better place for having you here. Lenapemore, thank you so much for sharing some of your insights. I could talk to you forever, but you've got to go and open the restaurant. So I will let you go and do that and prepare for, uh, the many guests who are coming tonight. Everyone, if you're visiting Cyprus, whether you're staying at San Rafael or not, make sure you visit Golden Monkey. You will love it. And a mistake that so many people do. They think our Thai food is spicy. Yes, it is, but it doesn't have to me. And then Napa here, she's got clients that they bring their two year old children and she'll make food that is suitable. It's fresh, it's tasty, it's healthy. I love Thai food. I think it's my favorite in the world.
Speaker A: So thank you.
Speaker B: Thank you for bringing it to us
Speaker A: and I really enjoy if everyone come to visiting me and the Golden Monkey you can call me. You are need uh, some.
Speaker B: Yeah ask for the chef when you come. Uh, thank you so much. Thank you for listening and don't forget to hit that subscribe button because it helps us more than you may realize. If you are planning on coming to visit us at San Rafael Resort and Marina, feel free to email our uh reservations team quoting Hotel Talk and um receive an exclusive offer just for you. We look forward to seeing you soon hearing your feedback about our show producing many, many, many more interesting episodes just for you, our listener uh and our valued guest in mind. Thank you so much and take care.
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