The closing of Seefah restaurant in Siam Square today is putting a hole in the heart of most people who grew up in the 70s and 80s.
Back then, the 60 rai Siam Square was considered the place to be in Bangkok -- commercially, socially, and for retailers.
Long established as an inseparable part of the open-air shopping arcade was Seefah restaurant, which will no longer operate there.
Those familiar with the restaurant will miss not just the usual service it had provided over 54 years, but also the good memories.
The destiny of the Siam Square branch was heart-wrenching for Seefah Group's chief officer Nitta Rachjaibun Nuntakwang. This is despite the brand still having 17 restaurants around the city.
"I initially didn't want to give interviews about Seefah Siam Square," said the CEO.
"But ever since we announced our plan to close, many people wanted to be a part of the farewell.
"Talking about it, I always get emotional," she added with a soft smile and tears in her eyes.
Nitta is now the third-generation proprietor of Seefah, a business founded by her Chinese-born grandfather in 1936.
It began as a small shop selling coffee and ice cream in Chinatown and later expanded to have a second and bigger outlet in the Wang Burapha district.
The Siam Square location, which came third, was launched in 1969, occupying four units in a four-storey shophouse row in Siam Square Soi 9.
Concurrently emerging with the new restaurant were street hawkers selling moo satay (grilled pork) and poh pia sod (Chinese-styled fresh spring rolls with sweet gravy) at the front of the Wang Burapha restaurant, as well as a wok-roasted chestnut vendor.
Seefah Siam Square, with a capacity to seat 150 people, was a big eating establishment. And just like most modern restaurants in those days, free Chinese tea and cold towels were provided to every guest while air-con was available on the upper-floor area and cost 5 baht per person.
According to Nitta, at that time it was considered an upscale eating place for the well-to-do.
"Our regular customers included noble families and high-ranking police officers. We also cooked food for royal households several times."
The menu offered family-style dishes in small portions "so that the customers would order various dishes to try and share", she said.
Cuisine-wise, Seefah serves up Chinese-Thai food.
It means their Thai dishes have some Chinese influence or Chinese cuisine prepared according to local adaptations.
Among all-time classics are khanom jeeb (steamed pork dumplings), khao nah gai khai dao (rice topped with chicken stew and fried egg), bamee asawin (egg noodles with eight toppings) and homemade durian ice cream.
Seefah's all-time best-seller khao nah gai khai dao.
Nitta also observed that Seefah regulars have a similar dining attitude -- they always ordered the same dishes every time and did not try other options.
"So we came up with a fixed menu of daily specials urging them to try new dishes."
The special menu was a great success. Today many of the specials such as khanom jeen nam ya and roasted duck curry have been added to the permanent menu.
Seefah was an absolute example of a typical family business.
The space above its Siam Square restaurant was where the family, as well as their staff, took up residence.
"It wouldn't be wrong to say that I was born here," Nitta said.
"My family lived on the upper floors of the restaurant for 12 years. We also had rooms for dozens of our staff."
Nitta explained that most proprietors in Siam Square at that time commonly lived on the upper floors of their shops. This is even allowed these days.
"Every evening, other kids and I would come out and play badminton or ride bicycles on the streets. It was a normal life in our small downtown community."
In the 1980s, Siam Square enjoyed its peak.
It became the place to be seen and an ultimate hangout spot for urban youth and young adults.
Seefah and its front grounds were a popular place for meetings, gatherings, courtship and school fights.
The restaurant had on many occasions served as a backstage shelter for pop artists performing in Siam Square.
"People told me they were proposed to here. Some chose our restaurant as their place of break up. We've had customers who used to dine here when they were high school sweethearts and now come as a family with young kids."
The CEO said that her parents' wedding ceremony was held at the restaurant on the first day of its operation. Decades later, her own wedding reception was set in the venue where she lived, grew up and got her first taste of working.
"It was very hard to say goodbye to the place that held so many pleasant and significant memories in our hearts."
Even though it might be against the wishes of her ancestors, Nitta, as the corporation's captain, decided it was time to move on.
"Siam Square is evolving more quickly than ever before," she said.
"It has become a high-energy district of the young generation. Today, the location is not as conveniently accessible to our core customers and regulars, which are baby boomers and their adult children. They don't come to Siam Square any more, probably feeling out of place.
"So what we are doing now is relocating the good old feelings of our regular customers to our new flagship restaurant. The location will be announced soon.
"We would like to thank all our customers for their continuous support. Without them, we would have not come this far.
"I'm sure Seefah, as an active restaurant business, will live past its centennial milestone. We believe that, no matter how much food trends have changed, at the end of the day people will find comfort in familiar food. Still, we will always keep improving our service quality."
