The pandemic has not been kind to businesses, and unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation has brought about another closure of a restaurant that has been around since 1997.
On Wednesday (19 May), The RiceTable Indonesian Restaurant, located in Orchard, uploaded a post on Facebook announcing that they will be closing down after 24 years of operation.
If you’re unaware, The RiceTable is the only eatery in Singapore that offers authentic rijsttafel, which is an array of Indonesian dishes served Dutch-style.
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The restaurant was opened on 13 October 1997 at International Building. Adopting an all-you-can-eat buffet style and a novel rice-table concept, the restaurant grew to become hugely popular among Singaporeans.
The restaurant announced that their lease expires at the end of the month and they have decided to cease operations when that time comes.
They also thanked all staff members who had been with the restaurant, as well as their customers who had shown them support in the past 24 years.
The restaurant has been through various trials and tribulations, including the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2000.
According to Mr Kevin Sih, 56, owner of the restaurant, the business had not been doing well since mid-February 2020, and the establishment had been considering closing down as they suspected that the pandemic might go on for a rather long period of time.
During the circuit breaker period, the eatery’s business had fallen by 40%. However, Mr Sih shared that the situation had been improving during phase three of safe reopening as groups of eight were allowed to dine in at restaurants and eateries.
Unfortunately, we will have to say our goodbyes to this well-loved restaurant.
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About The RiceTable
The RiceTable offers a lunch buffet consisting of 15 dishes, while their dinner buffet comprises 20 dishes.
Their signature rice table consisting of a variety of Indonesian dishes are laid out on table warmers called “rechauds”, enabling the food to be kept warm for an enhanced dining experience.
Mr Sih, the founder of the restaurant, wanted to offer customers a unique experience that wasn’t simply “just another Indonesian restaurant”.
Hence, he wanted to bring over to Singapore the novel style of Indonesian rice tables that were well-loved in Amsterdam.
The “rechauds”, or table warmers, which were commonly found in Amsterdam, could not be found in Singapore. To get around this, Mr Sih had to have the table warmers custom made in Indonesia.
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To find out more, click here.
Featured Image: Facebook (The Ricetable Indonesian Restaurant)
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