Former world No. 11 badminton athlete is the honcho behind 30-year-old A-roy Thai

Decades of history

According to Natthaporn, the restaurant’s history stretches back some 30 years, first run by a relative who eventually returned to Thailand.

In its earlier years, the restaurant operated out of the old Funan DigitaLife Mall, before relocating when the building was redeveloped, eventually settling in Velocity @ Novena in 2016, where it has remained for a decade.

When the original owner stepped away, Natthaporn’s mother, Darunee Triyachart, 61, took over the business.

“We took over the business in 2015,” says Natthaporn, who grew up in Singapore and studied at Victoria Junior College before going on to Singapore Management University. “We’ve grown it over time.” 

The business has remained with the family since. 

Back in Thailand, Natthaporn’s father runs a rubber plantation, alongside other ventures. Her younger brother operates his own F&B concept in Bangkok, while her older sister supports A-roy Thai from afar, handling marketing.

“We are a family of businesspeople,” she says, laughing. 

Today, A-roy Thai operates three outlets across Singapore, with the most recent at VivoCity overseen by Natthaporn, after a seven-year wait for a mall unit. “We took over Hoshino Coffee,” her brother, Chayut Triyachart, 37, says.

A second outlet opened at Changi Airport Terminal 2 in 2023 is managed by Chayut.

Their mother, Darunee, remains anchored at Novena, where she still leads the kitchen.

Natthaporn and Chayut, for their part, do not cook. “For me, I’m doing everything from the outside,” Natthaporn says. “Service crew, operations, finance, a bit of marketing, or just managing the shop.” 

She describes it as learning the business from the other side of the pass, tasting, observing, and understanding how the kitchen works, without stepping fully into it.

The trio work flexibly, often stepping in to cover one another where needed. “All of us are doing everything,” Natthaporn adds. “We move around depending on what’s needed.”  

They are pro-athletes too; mum was a former world No. 11

Some might know of Chayut Triyachart, who spent years representing Singapore in badminton, and was part of the men’s doubles team that took silver at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. His career was cut short by a partial tear in his Achilles tendon. 

“I still play, but not professionally,” Chayut says. “Only a few recognise me.”  

His mother, Darunee, had her own history in the sport, too. Before she married, she competed under the name Darunee Lertvoralak, representing Thailand at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games (where she won a Bronze Medal) and the 1986 Asian Games. 

When this comes up, the former women’s singles world No.11 — I am still astounded at this nugget of information — laughs. 

“People my generation might recognise me,” Darunee says. She won the Thailand National women’s singles title in 1984 and 1986. “But I don’t think the youths do.” 

Natthaporn grew up in the same environment, playing competitively in campus games, though she is quick to place herself behind the rest of her family. “I play competitively, but not to the same level as them,” she adds. 

90% of the ingredients are imported from Thailand

For all of the brand’s expansion, it still comes back to the food.

In the kitchen, that begins with ingredients. Where possible, key components are sourced from Thailand, from bird’s eye chilli to Thai garlic, chosen for their sharper, more distinct flavour. The cooking itself draws from Isan, the northeastern region of Thailand where the family is from, a cuisine known for its sharper flavours. 

“The region is known for our papaya salad (also known as som tam) with anchovies and grilled meats eaten with sticky rice (or khao niao),” says Chayut. 

Unlike the softer, glossier Thai dishes more familiar in Singapore, Isan cooking is more rustic, built around herbs, smoke, and a certain immediacy of flavour. 

For example, the sticky rice is traditionally washed, then soaked overnight before being steamed in a bamboo basket over boiling water. 

Quick to explain what goes inside each dish, how it is prepared, and why certain ingredients are used over others, Darunee speaks about the food here with pride. She says the shop brings in 90% of its ingredients, such as lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal to list a few, from Thailand.

“We even get palm sugar from Thailand,” she says. “Normal white sugar won’t work.”

“The mangoes are the sweetest from March to May,” she adds, pushing a plate of mango sticky rice for me to try. “We go for size and give it a slight squeeze. Ripe and good mangoes yield slightly.”

One fact about A-roy Thai is that some of its kitchen staff have been with the family for years. “Some of them have been with us for a very long time,” Darunee adds. 

What we tried at A-roy Thai

With more than 100 offerings, including vegetarian dishes, the menu at A-roy Thai is as expansive as it gets. 

The lemongrass salad (S$16.90) is one of the more distinctive appetisers at A-roy Thai. Inspired by miang kham (Thai leaf-wrapped salad), it brings together finely sliced lemongrass, toasted coconut, red onions and dried shrimp in a messy heap. Each bite is layered, crunchy at first, then bright with lemongrass, followed by the savouriness of the shrimp and a lingering sweetness from the coconut. 

The clear tom yum seafood (S$17.90) feels unusually restrained for a dish that usually thrives on heat and acidity. The broth, built on chicken bones with lemongrass, galangal, chilli and straw mushrooms, is clean but short on punch. The prawns and sotong are fresh, but at this price, it is hard not to think there are sharper, more satisfying versions elsewhere. 

An unusual dish, the seafood otah in coconut (S$19.90) features seafood enshrined in a hollowed-out coconut husk. Tender slices of Spanish mackerel and sweet whole prawns are among the few seafood that have been mixed with spices, and then steamed with some wedges of lemak coconut flesh. Piquant, spicy, and very hearty. 

The claypot vermicelli with prawns (S$21.90) comes lightly slicked with oil, carrying a gentle wok hei and a pronounced garlicky aroma. Be warned, this gets cloying easily. 

A popular Southern Thai dish, the stir-fried Malindjo leaves with egg (S$14.90) is a quieter presence on the table. Young, tender leaves from the plant, sourced from southern Thailand, are fried until just slightly wilted, then folded through with egg. Slightly bitter, with crisp edges and a soft centre, it is not an obvious crowd-pleaser, but it sure grew on me. 

The deep-fried seabass with Thai herbs (S$38.90) is a dish well worth returning to. The skin is fried to a crisp, giving way to tender flesh, slightly briny yet sweet. Over it, lemongrass, green mango, dried chilli and kaffir lime leaves bring heat and sharpness. Even more welcoming are crunchy cashew nuts scattered around too. Aroy mak mak.

The mango sticky rice (S$11.90) comes with half a mango, sweet and ripe, apropos of the season Darunee speaks of. The rice is soft and lightly coconutty, though in the current climate, it feels a touch too modest and exorbitant. 

There is something to be said for being sent somewhere by someone who knows how you eat. If not for my friend, who had insisted I dig a little deeper, A-roy Thai might have slipped under the radar. And the lesson here is to perhaps listen to your friends! 

For other new openings around town, check out our monthly round-up, and Star Western’s new offshoot at Katong.