Historic Silom restaurant closes

Opened before World War II with waiters in white uniforms, you traveled to this restaurant by tram to enjoy its famous ox tail stew & beef steak salad.

Click button to listen to Silom Restaurant Closes Doors download

Family

Last orders for Silom Restaurant

20/09/2012

Before World War II, Neejiew Sae Phu set up a restaurant in Trok Toh, opposite Assumption College. During the war a fire broke out, forcing the Chinese-Thai to move his eatery to its present location on Silom Road, now known as Soi 15.

It is one of those quaint, slightly antiquated restaurants specialising in Thai and Western food, yet heavily influenced by Chinese style. This particular type of restaurants is known in the vernacular as "cook shop". Silom Restaurant is among the last of its kind, and for its regular customers, the sad news is that the place is closing down at the end of September.

Supattra Dispanurat, 75, is the daughter of the owner who has continued the tradition of serving fine ox tongue stew, beef steak salad, ox tail stew and chicken curry. "Silom Road back then was just a two-lane street with a tram going up and down," says Supattra. Back then, there were no hotels on the road, and people who wanted to eat Western food came here. We had waiters in white uniforms serving people. We also organised weddings and other functions.

On every table there's still a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, an indispensable seasoning that has become a symbol of cook shops.

But Silom has changed, and Silom Restaurant is no longer able to resist. Supattra now remains behind the same counter she has for decades, but come Sept 30, she will serve her last customers. And when they leave the place, she will move the chairs, close the door and turn off the lights - for the last time. Another chapter on Silom will soon be lost forever in time.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Family, Last orders for Silom Restaurant, 20/09/2012, link)


Restaurant Vocabulary 

eatery - a restaurant

history (noun) - describing and studying the events of the past ประวัติศาสตร์
historic (adjective) - ซึ่งเกิดขึ้นในประวัติศาสตร์, ซึ่งเกี่ยวกับประวัติศาสตร์

historic place - a place that is important because it is old and interesting, also called "historic site" (See Wikipedia)
historic restaurant  
historic Silom restaurant closes

order - a food order, the food that you ask a restaurant to make การสั่งอาหาร
place an order - ask the waiter for some kind of food at a restaurant

last orders for Silom Restaurant

waiter - พนักงานเสิร์ฟ, เด็กเสิร์ฟ, ผู้ที่ทำหน้าที่ยกอาหารมาให้ผู้รับประทานที่โต๊ะอาหาร
uniform - official clothing that is clean and neat looking and the same for people doing the same job (example: soldier's uniform, nurse's uniform) ชุด, เครื่องแบบ

waiters in white uniforms serving people

stew - a dish made by cooking vegetables, meat and fish slowly in a liquid สทิว, ตุ๋น, เคี่ยว, ต้มอาหารโดยใช้ไฟอ่อน

ox tail stew - (See Wikipedia and photos)
ox tongue stew 
beef steak salad 

Worcestershire sauce - a famous sauce usually used to add flavour to meat and fish dishes, over 100 years old from the UK (See Wikipedia and pronunciation)

On every table there's a bottle of Worcestershire sauce

indispensable - must have (cannot do anything without it) ซึ่งขาดไม่ได้, ซึ่งจำเป็น
dispensable - don't need it (can do everything without it)

seasoning - เครื่องปรุงรส
an indispensable seasoning

break out - when somethings suddenly and quickly (example: the disease passed to other people qucikly and an epidemic broke out)
a fire broke out

present - now
location - the place where something is

present location - the place where something is, now
its present location on Silom Road

Before World War II, Neejiew Sae Phu set up a restaurant in Trok Toh, opposite Assumption College. During the war a fire broke out, forcing the Chinese-Thai to move his eatery to its present location on Silom Road, now known as Soi 15.

quaint - unusual in a nice way มหัศจรรย์ น่าพิศวง

antiquated - very old, out-of-date, old-fashioned
slightly antiquated

influence - causing something to change or work differently
heavily influenced
heavily influenced by Chinese style

vernacular - the spoken language
known in the vernacular as "cook shop"

the last of its kind - there were many in the past, but they have disappeared now (this is the last one)
among the last of its kind

regular customers - customers who buys things in a store or restaurant often

It is one of those quaint, slightly antiquated restaurants specialising in Thai and Western food, yet heavily influenced by Chinese style. This particular type of restaurants is known in the vernacular as "cook shop". Silom Restaurant is among the last of its kind, and for its regular customers, the sad news is that the place is closing down at the end of September.

tradition - ประเพณี
continued the tradition

fine - of very high quality
serving fine ox tongue stew, beef steak salad, ox tail stew and chicken curry

tram - a small train that brings people around a city
a two-lane street with a tram going up and down

functions - social events งานสังคม
organised weddings and other functions

symbol - something that people have done for a long time เครื่องหมาย
a symbol of cook shops

Supattra Dispanurat, 75, is the daughter of the owner who has continued the tradition of serving fine ox tongue stew, beef steak salad, ox tail stew and chicken curry. "Silom Road back then was just a two-lane street with a tram going up and down," says Supattra. Back then, there were no hotels on the road, and people who wanted to eat Western food came here. We had waiters in white uniforms serving people. We also organised weddings and other functions. On every table there's still a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, an indispensable seasoning that has become a symbol of cook shops.

resist - refuse to accept a change and try to prevent the change; to oppose or fight against someone or something ต่อต้าน
no longer able to resist

Silom has changed, and Silom Restaurant is no longer able to resist

remains - still there, has not moved
counter - เคาน์เตอร์, โต๊ะขนาดยาว
decades - periods of ten years เป็นสิบๆปี

Supattra now remains behind the same counter she has for decades

chapter - a period of time like a part of a book or "book chapter" บท
lost forever - disappear and never have again
Another chapter on Silom will soon be lost forever in time

But Silom has changed, and Silom Restaurant is no longer able to resist. Supattra now remains behind the same counter she has for decades, but come Sept 30, she will serve her last customers. And when they leave the place, she will move the chairs, close the door and turn off the lights - for the last time. Another chapter on Silom will soon be lost forever in time.