No-Frills Golden Mile Complex Boat Noodle Shop Relocates To Fancier Telok Ayer Shophouse Where Rent Is “Triple Of Current Rate”

Since opening in April 2021, the slightly grungy, humbly decorated Tha Chang Noodle Bar has been the go-to spot for many boat noodle enthusiasts thanks to its full-bodied broths, tender beef and slurp-worthy glass noodles – all based on a recipe from an almost 40-year-old Bangkok stall.

The Golden Mile Complex joint is helmed by Thai pals Maysa D, 38, whose aunt owns the popular Po Pratip Boat Noodles in Bangkok’s Bueng Kum district, and Anna S, 34. Their third partner, Jess S, left the business last July to spend more time with her kids.

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Forced to relocate after Golden Mile Complex sale

Tha Chang Noodle Bar’s last day of operation was on April 2, ahead of Golden Mile Complex tenants’ May 2023 deadline to vacate the premises. The conserved 50-year-old building was sold en bloc for $700 million to a consortium comprising Perennial Holdings, Sino Land and Far East Organization in May last year.

The forced relocation has naturally been upsetting for Maysa and Anna, who first met while working as entertainers at a Thai Club in the building a decade ago. “They have a lot of sentiments for the place. They feel sad [about the move]. It’s a gathering place for them. Even if we didn’t open a shop here, my wife would be shopping at the supermarket and meeting her friends here,” says Anna’s Singaporean husband Shawn Chio, 41, who handles operations for the brand after his events planning day job.

Almost took over the shop next door before en bloc announcement

“We almost took over the salon next door as the owners wanted to retire. It was a big space and we wanted to expand our seating area. The day that we were supposed to hand in our deposit was the day that the news [of the sale] came out,” he shares. “Business has been quite stable [for the past two years]. If not for the [building] sale, we wouldn’t be moving away.”

Targeting CBD crowd at new location

“A lot of our customers wanted us to shift to a nearby area, like City Gate (a mixed development mall at Beach Rd) or Aperia Mall (at Kallang Ave) but these places didn’t feel like a right fit for us,” says Shawn. FYI, fellow tenant Thai Supermarket will be moving to Aperia Mall by early May.

Instead, Tha Chang Noodle Bar is tentatively scheduled to open on May 1 at a Telok Ayer shophouse – it takes over Indonesian restaurant Nusantara Cuisine, located next to American BBQ restaurant MeatSmith. Fancy! “Many of our regulars work [in the CBD] so we thought, why not target the office crowd there,” he explains.

New name, new dishes like crab curry

With the relocation, the Thai joint will be rebranded Thachang Restaurant & Bar. The new eatery will be much bigger, boasting 50 seats compared to the current 32 at Golden Mile Complex. The decor, according to Shawn, will also be more elaborate than its previous shop with “an old-school Thai vibe”.

“Our staple dishes like boat noodles will still be available, but we will also add new items to the menu [to cater to the new CBD crowd],” he shares. These additions include Thai green curry crab, served with prata.

Giant river prawns are a favourite at most Bangkok’s seafood restaurants. Thachang will serve it stir-fried with turmeric sauce.

Prices expected to increase

“We will try to retain [our old pricing] as much as possible, but we will have to increase some as the rent [of our new shop] is almost triple of our current rate,” says Shawn. The menu prices are unconfirmed at press time. He declined to go into detail about the rental amount or how they managed to upgrade to a far more expensive neighbourhood, but vaguely tells us that the set-up costs of their new eatery is partly funded by profits from their current shop, as well as “more investment on our end”.

The details

Thachang Restaurant & Bar is scheduled to open on May 1 at 171 Telok Ayer St, S068621. More info via Facebook & Instagram. 

Additional reporting by Florence Fong

Photos: Alvin Teo & Thachang Restaurant & Bar

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