Post #30307 by irontiki on Mon, Apr 14, 2003 10:24 PM

Howdy,

I recently noticed that Hong Kong Inn in Ventura has a sign up: Polynesian Review. Of course we had to investigate.

The short story: it's not a tiki bar but I think it's worth checking out.

The decor is exactly what you'd expect with a name like Hong Kong Inn. No tikis. Lots of paper dragons.

They have a cozy little bar and the first page of their menu is entirely tiki drinks with illustrations and great descriptions. We had a Scorpion Bowl, a Volcano Bowl, and a Pi Yi. All were served in their requisite barware, respectively: giant clam shell, volcano bowl, and a hollowed out pineapple.

I'm far from an expert but felt the drinks were decent, they possibly could have been stronger. I was too distracted to find if they served drinks in tiki mugs as depicted on their menu so maybe they were stronger than I thought?

The food was standard chinese fare. I'd recommend emphasizing the appetizers and soup over the entrees.

The polynesian review was corny but enthusiastic. The show involved a surprising number of hula dancers, male and female, of all ages. They re-enacted dances of the different polynesian cultures. The hula dancers were having fun but were also taking the dancing seriously. Again I'm not the hula expert but liked the show.

The polynesian review is Friday and Saturday nights at 9:00.

HONG KONG INN
(805) 648-3161
435 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura, CA

That's scoop from here in Ventura. I hope this isn't a repeat. If you decide to go I hope you have as much fun as we did.

yours, Iron