Iconic Australian restaurant announces shock closure after 70 years: 'So sad'
Toi Shan Chinese Restaurant in Bendigo announced that it would be shutting for good after more than 70 years of serving the community.
The restaurant's current and long serving owners, Sai Yoke 'Sue' Wong and her husband Kok Hem 'Peter' Chee, decided to close the restaurant to enjoy their retirement.
A notice from Sue and Peter posted in the shopfront window titled 'Thank you and Goodbye' confirmed that they had made 'the incredibly difficult decision to close'.
The owners, who are both aged in their early 70s, had reportedly been contemplating retiring from the beloved local business for several years after being unable to find anyone suitable and willing to take over.
After Toi Shan Chinese closes on July 30, it will later reopen as an Indian restaurant.
Sue Wong's family have run the restaurant for the past 20 years after purchasing it in 2003 from its previous owners, the Chan family.
Toi Shan's history dates back to 1948, when Allan Chan took over the On Loong cookshop and renamed it the Toi Shan Cafe, referencing the southern Chinese city he was born in.
Under the guidance of Allan followed by his brother Victor and eventually his son Philip and their family, the restaurant earnt a reputation as a Bendigo eatery institution.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Toi Shan offered Bendigonians their very first taste of exotic cuisine and international flavours.
That being said, the dishes served at Toi Shan were altered to suit local tastes and would be classified as an "Australian Chinese" menu.
Some of the top sellers that have been mainstays on the menu for decades include their Honey Chicken, Lemon Chicken and of course Prawn Crackers.
Before it was renamed, On Loong's history in Bendigo can be traced to 1892.
At that time, the shop was located in the heart of Bendigo's 'Chinatown' on Bridge St, before later moving to the store's current location on Mitchell Street in 1942.
A recent post in to the Bendigo 'Have Your Say' Facebook group about the long-running establishment's closure was met with an outpouring of disappointment and fond memory recollections.
'So sad to see this amazing Bendigo institution closing. Having worked here with 2 generations of the Chans, it's such a shame. Thank you for everything Toi Shan,' read one reply.
'Fabulous food and a nod to our original Chinese Restaurant in Bendigo. You will be sadly missed.'
'Love Toi Shan. Both our families been going there for decades. Absolutely love their Chinese food. Will be very sadly missed,' added another.
'So sad. It's been there as long as I can remember. My Dad used to take us there when we were kids and have been going there since on occasions for lunch and takeaway,' a third person said
'Very Sad. Every time I travel to Bendigo over last 40 years it has always been a must go to place. Never once had meal I wasn't happy with,' read a Facebook reply to a separate post about the closure.
When Toi Shan first opened its doors in Bendigo, it was the only other dining establishment in town, besides the pub.
'Restaurants like Toi Shan are important because they tell a story about Australia that's unique to their time and place,' Jennifer Wong, co-author of Chopsticks or Fork?, a book and TV series celebrating regional Chinese restaurants, told Good Food.
The restaurant was even the subject of a 1991 TV documentary segment on the ABC program, A Big Country.
Bendigo has had a thriving Chinese community since the mid-1800s when many migrants inspired by the goldrush era moved to the country town .
Today, the town continues to have a vibrant Chinese community, and its history is documented and celebrated in the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo.
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