CBD eatery Magic Wok broken into four times in past two weeks

UPDATE: THE owner’s of popular CBD restaurant Magic Wok, Julie and Frank Lam, say they are doing it tough after two more break-ins overnight after two break-ins over the weekend.

Magic Wok after one of the two times it was broken into last week. Picture: Supplied

THEY had a good run for a couple of years, but following four break-ins in five nights, Julie and Frank Lam’s luck, and liquor cabinet, has run out.

The couple’s popular CBD eatery Magic Wok was broken into twice Thursday morning after break-ins last Saturday and Sunday.

On both occasions yesterday thieves smashed through the restaurant’s glass frontage with a brick, stealing alcohol once inside.

Mr and Ms Lam were woken up by calls from police just after midnight alerting them of a break-in at their West Lane restaurant.

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Four hours later, after their shattered door had been replaced and the pair were back in bed, the phone rang again.

“It was the police, saying we’ve been robbed again”, said Ms Lam.

Julie Lam and Frank Lam, centre, pictured with Lindy Lam and Braden Menzies last year. Picture: Keri Megelus

Mr and Ms Lam, well established Darwin restaurateurs, who have been in business locally for 47 years, say they will now close the restaurant this weekend to recover from the ordeal.

“It’s just awful — I couldn’t come in after we were broken in to the second time,” said Ms Lam.

“I think we need a break after all of this.”

Ms Lam said the thieves were going after liquor.

“They had taken most of the grog that hadn’t been opened,” she said.

“They’ve gone for the fridge with some beer and wine.

“They selected a bottle of Moet over a bottle of Yellow — they were quite fussy with what they took it seems.”

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Frank said he was “too tired to feel anything” after the nightmare run of thefts.

Such incidents, he said, make doing business in a flagging economy “really tough”.

“It’s bad enough without this,” he said.

“Things are not as good as they used to be.

“Quite often we have to make do with one good day a week and we’re just able to keep our head above water without any of this happening.”

While commercial theft has plagued the CBD in recent times, the coupled said they hadn’t been broken into for many years before the chain of four thefts in a week.

Police are investigating the break-ins.

“Our investigations remain ongoing, and while we don’t have anyone in custody at this stage we are urging anyone with information to come forward,” said NT Police Duty Superintendent Siiri Tennosaar.