GEORGE TOWN – Covid-19 may bring out the worst in people, but for Mervyn Wee, it is all about innovation and resilience.
His restaurant, Thai Shop, located at a pre-war house on Hutton Lane here known for Thai delicacies, is branching out to Western cuisine as well.
This is the predicament Wee, a seasoned food and beverage operator for 35 years, faces now that his Thai employees have returned home due to regional movement restrictions.
He now serves the likes of hot dogs and chilli con carne, with the only Thai food on the menu being ice milk tea and the “Thai dog”, in which moo ping (grilled pork skewers) is used in place of sausages.
On October 3, he reopened his cafe without his team and braved the odds of running the business on his own.
“I get calls from customers asking me if my shop is open. I have to explain to them that there is no Thai food, which confuses them because, well, my restaurant is called Thai Shop.”
Pre-pandemic, the restaurant was operated by eight Thai nationals from the country's northeastern region, and served famed Thai street foods, such as stewed pork leg rice and som tam (papaya salad), with an authentic home-cooked touch. – The Vibes, November 22, 2020.
