Chilling out with delicious Thai iced tea
FROM its humble beginnings as a line of Thai tea drinks that was part of the menu for local restaurant chain Boat Noodle, Chill Chill has now evolved into a brand on its own.
This popular chain of kiosks selling a unique range of Thai iced tea drinks is owned by Utara 5 F&B Sdn Bhd, which now has 17 outlets operating in the Klang Valley and Penang.
During the grand opening of the newest Chill Chill outlet at Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya, Utara 5 F&B founder Tony Lim said that the idea to open the kiosks started when he noticed people coming into Boat Noodle restaurants, and just ordering the drinks to go.
This sparked off the idea to have standalone kiosks selling these Thai tea creations, beginning with the very first one in Tesco Mutiara Damansara.
Lim recalled when he first encountered these Thai concoctions.
He said: “I never fail to start my day with a perfect cup of freshly-brewed teh tarik.
“During one of my first visits to Thailand, I stumbled across the Thai iced tea (cha yen) and in no time, I made it my go-to substitute whenever teh tarik wasn’t within my reach.
“Then I thought: ‘Why not introduce the wonders of cha yen to my fellow Malaysians?’
“My team and I then worked relentlessly with a Thai tea company to create the perfect blend of cha yen that would suit local preferences, [albeit] a more ‘kaw’ version.”
Chill Chill serves over 31 delectable flavoured tea drinks, all individually brewed to order.
The teas also come with a variety of toppings such as Oreo crumbs, coffee jelly, whipped cream, and blue pea jelly, as well as milk and mango cotta.
Some of its signature drinks are cha yen (Thai tea), kaffe yen (Thai coffee), cha keow yen (Thai green tea) and cha manao yen (Thai lemon tea).
Lim adds that Utara 5 F&B plans to increase the number of Chill Chill outlets to 50, with the opening of 33 more outlets nationwide by the end of the year. – S. Indra Sathiabalan