Lanntair to be temporary venue for Thai Cafe

​Thanking everyone for all the help and support in a recent post on social media, Panida said: “It has been a very overwhelming time but we finally see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Now she has confirmed that light will be the use of An Lanntair’s restaurant space until such time as the Church Street building can be rebuilt, estimated to take around six months.

“We’re going to be opening in An Lanntair,” she told the Gazette. “It’s just temporary until the Thai Cafe is finished. We’re just going to open quietly, before Christmas.”

Panida said: “Just now, we don’t know the system, so we’re just going to put a few starters and a few main courses in, to see how we manage. The starter is not a big problem but the main course is a problem because the cooker is different. We’ll do it just now because it’s better than nothing.”

She spoke of their happiness at getting ready to bring Thai food back to Stornoway and said “a lot of people” had helped them get back on their feet, offering alternative premises and giving donations and other kinds of support. “People have been very kind. Even in Scalpay, they offer for us to take over the restaurant but we’re just too far away.”

Looking forward to getting back to the kitchen, Panida said: “It’s good because I’ve got nothing to do. It’s quite boring. When you’re used to working eight, 12 hours a day and then you’ve got nothing to do, it’s a bit boring. It’s good to get back to work again.”

Up till now, Panida admitted to lying a bit low to avoid the questions about when they would be reopening. “I don’t go out much because everybody ask, ‘when does it start?’”

Thanking the arts centre, which has had a limited daytime food offering, she said: “They approached us. It’s very good of them. An Lanntair, they didn’t do the food for a while… so it’s good to have somebody get in there.

“They said, ‘you can start it anytime’, but we’ve got to prepare it first. We need to do the new menu and we’ve got to order ingredients because everything went on fire.”

The deal is subject to contractual agreement and appropriate licensing.

An Lanntair chief executive Sean O’Hare confirmed: “We are delighted to support a local business in their time of need. It’s exciting for everyone concerned.”

He said: “We’re obviously wishing them the very best. We know it’s been a tough time for them and they are a valued business and a respected family in the community, so the board and the team here at An Lanntair came to an agreement that we would welcome them.

“We understand it’s a temporary situation and we’re happy to work with them. I think it’s a great space and it’s an exciting time for the space to be utilised by a quality local restaurant. When they made the appeal, we were just happy to support them.

“We hope that people can come along and enjoy the food before they go to the cinema or attend the many shows during the festive and New Year period. It’s a nice adventure for both parties. It makes sense for us as well.”