Family restaurant Kwan Thai celebrates 17 years in Ipswich

Ipswich Star: Kwan Thai Restaurant, St Nicholas Street, IpswichKwan Thai Restaurant, St Nicholas Street, Ipswich (Image: Archant)

You can eat your way around the world - without leaving Ipswich.

There is a tremendous range of foreign cuisine avalable in our town, and many are long-standing businesses.

Family-run Kwan Thai restaurant, in historic St Nicholas Street, is celebrating 17 years in business in Ipswich this summer.

It is run by hushand and wife team Amkha and Lesley Sathuphap.

He is from Thailand, and she is Ipswich born and bred - and the met for the first time in Israel.

Lesley explained: “We met on a Moshav Paran - on a sort of community farm, in 1995.

“We worked for a small payment and accommodation only.”

They worked alongside each other within the community for months, and fell in love.

Lesley said: “I grew up in Ipswich.

“I went to Dale Hall School, and the Thurleston and Westbourne schools. I wanted to travel.

“After school I joined the Royal Navy for five years.

And I went to Camp America and to Israel, where I met my husband.

“We went to Thailand at first, and then came back to Ipswich.”

Kwan Thai is in an historic building that was formerly Marno’s vegetarian restaurant, in St Nicholas Street.

There is a wide range of restaurants in this part of town.

It offers traditional Thai food, cooked by Amkha, and Lesely usually is at front of house, meeting the customers.

“Amkha learned to cook in Bangkok,” she explained, “It has been hard work at times, but I do enjoy at the front and meeting people.

“We have a lot of loyal, regular customers.

“A lot of them have become friends, and have been coming here for years.

“Many have their own favourite dishes, like Weeping Tiger or Thai green curry.”

It really is a family business.Daughters Anne, Jasmine and Rhiannon have all helped and worked in the restaurant at different times.

Anne now has a son, Gwilym and the twins, 19-years-old, are studying at university.

Lesley added: “Amkha’s brother and sister, Thong and Ula, also help in the restaurant.”

“We enjoy what we are are doing here, and want to be here for many more years,” she added,

Kwan Thai Restaurant, St Nicholas Street, Ipswich

Telephone: 01473 253106

www.kwan-thai-restaurant.co.uk