After putting their beloved restaurant up for sale back in March, the owners of HoMe on Church Road officially sold the site yesterday, Tuesday 3 December.

The buyers of the site will be transforming it into a boardgame café.

Patrick Tsang and his wife and co-owner Helen, decided to sell the restaurant because they want to retire.

They have run HoMe for eight years.

Patrick and Helen Tsang first opened HoMe in 2017 (Credit: Nub News)

Tsang previously told Teddington Nub that he and his wife had initially planned to only run the business for four years but "the customers were so nice that we signed on for another year, and another, and so on".

Speaking about the sell, Tsang said: "After eight wonderful years of running our small restaurant, it is time for my spouse and me to retire and move on to the next chapter of our lives.

"Today, we have completed the final steps to hand over the restaurant, and we wanted to take this moment to share our gratitude with you all.

"Over the years, we have been incredibly fortunate to not only serve delicious meals but also build heartfelt connections with so many of you."

He continued: "We have watched families grow, children go from primary school to college, and even start their careers.

"Many of you have gone from being strangers to becoming cherished friends. Your support, loyalty, and kindness have meant the world to us. Knowing that our restaurant became a part of your lives is something we will always treasure.

"The cards, gifts, and warm wishes you have sent upon hearing of our retirement have deeply touched our hearts.

"Thank you for allowing us to serve you, for your smiles, and for making our journey so memorable. As we step away, we do so with immense gratitude and love for our wonderful community. Wishing you all happiness and success in the years to come."

The new cafe will be called Drinks and Dice, and will offer a wide selection of boardgames for customers to play, ranging from classics like Chess and Boggle to modern favourites like Azul and 7 Wonders.

"All in all we have about 70 boardgames right now," Drinks and Dice owner Robin Kerremans told Teddington Nub.

"The focus of the cafe will be mostly on serving drinks while customers play the games, so coffee and tea for during the day, soft drinks, ciders and IPAs for in the evening. I'm also looking into offering smoothies and bubble tea.

"In regards to food, I am starting with just pastries and paninis, but may expand to proper use of the kitchen if we find a good chef for it."

Kerremans is aiming to open Drinks and Dice in January, if the renovations go according to plan, and said he will put up a website for bookings around that time.

He said: "I'm very excited for the place to open up and look forward to giving people a place to come together and play some of their favourite games. I'm a big fan of boardgames myself and hope to get more people into the hobby... as well as give people who are already fans a place to try out the latest one."