Thai Express
Encyclopedia
Thai Express is a chain of restaurant
s serving Thai cuisine.
The first restaurant was opened in Holland Village
in Singapore
in May 2002. Since then, there have been other outlets in Malaysia, Indonesia
, Vietnam
, Australia
, Mongolia
. and India
(Hyderabad).
The Singapore-based chain has no affiliation with the Thaï Express
chain operating in Canada
owned by MTY Group.
(MINT) from Thailand.
The idea of a restaurant was conceived in 2000 by two classmates at the
National University of Singapore
, Grace Goh-Lee and Ivan Lee, who
are now married to each other.
The first Thai Express restaurant opened in Holland Village. Ivan Lee is the
company's CEO. Grace Goh-Lee later return to school to study law. They decided
to serve Thai food due to its popularity in Singapore.
The founder and CEO, Ivan Lee, has addressed the Singapore Management University
Lee Kong
Chian School of Business as part of its lunchtime talks series.
Ivan Lee and the founding of Thai Express has been featured in a television documentary
on Channel NewsAsia
in 2006.
Thai style of communal dining by serving items in individual portions for those who
may want to dine alone." "In place of fine dining, which may be intimidating to some,
Thai Express is all about being fresh, contemporary and fuss-free."
The typical casual and modern decor of the restaurant is glass partitions with wooden chairs of
Scandinavian style design.
Many of the dishes on the menu, some of which have won awards, have been created by
native Thai Chef Suwakhon Wangsai, who has 25 years of international cooking experience.
Some of the dishes are reported to be unique including the Japanese-inspired Popiah Wrap,
the Tofu-Mushroom Salad and Tofu Squares.
Thai fried squid, Thai Mee Sua (Thai Longevity Noodle), Curried Soft Shell Crab are also
dishes that, while the restaurant attributes as unique, may be more accurately characterised as
unique in the way that they are prepared.
Thai Express is one of the few Thai restaurants in Singapore to serve Thai laksa
, of which they serve eight varieties.
. There are many other
locations in Singapore including, but not limited to, a restaurant in The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
,
where there is some view of the outdoor performance area and within walking
distance to the Merlion
, The Paragon Shopping Centre and
Plaza Singapura
, both located in Orchard Road. There are several restaurants in
Indonesia, Vietnam as well as a few in Malaysia and Australia.
There is consideration to expanding into the Middle East.
Thai Express has now entered India with an outlet in Hyderabad.
its dishes as "idiot proof"
and costs about US$150,000 to start up in Singapore.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s serving Thai cuisine.
The first restaurant was opened in Holland Village
Holland Village, Singapore
Holland Village is a small busy enclave near the Buona Vista MRT Station close to the Queenstown area in Singapore. A popular venue for younger Singaporeans and expatriates, it is dominated by and often visited solely for its eateries and watering holes, along with some specialist shops selling...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in May 2002. Since then, there have been other outlets in Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Hyderabad).
The Singapore-based chain has no affiliation with the Thaï Express
Thai Express
Thai Express is a chain of restaurants serving Thai cuisine.The first restaurant was opened in Holland Village in Singaporein May 2002. Since then, there have been other outlets in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, Mongolia...
chain operating in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
owned by MTY Group.
Early history
ThaiExpress is owned by Minor InternationalMinor International
Minor International is a hospitality company operating over 1,000 restaurants and 30 hotels in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions and Africa...
(MINT) from Thailand.
The idea of a restaurant was conceived in 2000 by two classmates at the
National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
, Grace Goh-Lee and Ivan Lee, who
are now married to each other.
The first Thai Express restaurant opened in Holland Village. Ivan Lee is the
company's CEO. Grace Goh-Lee later return to school to study law. They decided
to serve Thai food due to its popularity in Singapore.
The founder and CEO, Ivan Lee, has addressed the Singapore Management University
Singapore Management University
The Singapore Management University was officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, and was Singapore's first private university funded by the government...
Lee Kong
Chian School of Business as part of its lunchtime talks series.
Ivan Lee and the founding of Thai Express has been featured in a television documentary
on Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started on 1 March 1999 based in Singapore by Television Corporation of Singapore, it was launched internationally on 12 February 2001 as the international broadcasting arm of Channel...
in 2006.
Type of Restaurant
A restaurant review characterise Thai Express as breaking "away from the traditionalThai style of communal dining by serving items in individual portions for those who
may want to dine alone." "In place of fine dining, which may be intimidating to some,
Thai Express is all about being fresh, contemporary and fuss-free."
The typical casual and modern decor of the restaurant is glass partitions with wooden chairs of
Scandinavian style design.
Menu
95% of dishes are cooked to order.Many of the dishes on the menu, some of which have won awards, have been created by
native Thai Chef Suwakhon Wangsai, who has 25 years of international cooking experience.
Some of the dishes are reported to be unique including the Japanese-inspired Popiah Wrap,
the Tofu-Mushroom Salad and Tofu Squares.
Thai fried squid, Thai Mee Sua (Thai Longevity Noodle), Curried Soft Shell Crab are also
dishes that, while the restaurant attributes as unique, may be more accurately characterised as
unique in the way that they are prepared.
Thai Express is one of the few Thai restaurants in Singapore to serve Thai laksa
Laksa
Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Malaysia and Singapore, and to a lesser extent Indonesia.- Origin :The origin of the name "laksa" is unclear...
, of which they serve eight varieties.
Locations
The original location is in Holland Village, SingaporeHolland Village, Singapore
Holland Village is a small busy enclave near the Buona Vista MRT Station close to the Queenstown area in Singapore. A popular venue for younger Singaporeans and expatriates, it is dominated by and often visited solely for its eateries and watering holes, along with some specialist shops selling...
. There are many other
locations in Singapore including, but not limited to, a restaurant in The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
,
where there is some view of the outdoor performance area and within walking
distance to the Merlion
Merlion
The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese...
, The Paragon Shopping Centre and
Plaza Singapura
Plaza Singapura
Plaza Singapura is a contemporary shopping mall located along Orchard Road, Singapore. The mall is managed by CapitaLand and owned by CapitaMall Trust. There are retail outlets over seven floors and two basements. The mall has a 752 lot seven storey carpark at the rear of the building, and a two...
, both located in Orchard Road. There are several restaurants in
Indonesia, Vietnam as well as a few in Malaysia and Australia.
There is consideration to expanding into the Middle East.
Thai Express has now entered India with an outlet in Hyderabad.
Franchises
The company franchises its brand to restaurants. It characterises the preparation ofits dishes as "idiot proof"
and costs about US$150,000 to start up in Singapore.