Canadian Tiki Part Deux - Collecting Tiki

T TabooDan Tiki Socialite Coast of BC now in Crowsnest, AB., Canada Joined: Jul 18, 2004 Posts: 691	T TabooDan Posted posted on Thu, Aug 4, 2011 10:01 PM Since the last page ended and the top of this one discussed a place on Vancouver Island called the Waikiki Restaurant, I figured I would look into it a little. I mean very little!! I don't go over to the Island at all so it is hard to do real hands on research. Well guess what, I didn't find out anything!! So I figure we'll keep this on Vancouver Island a little bit here. I know that Comox and alot of the Islands towns and cities are big with retirees and veterans (couple military bases out there) so it would be a great place to have these Tropical or Polynesian Bars and Restaurants. Remind the elders of their times abroad! We know of a Lum's Polynesian Restaurant in Victoria which is, quite honestly, a Chinese joint with a cool name. Much better than this would have been one of the Beachcomber Restaurant locations which was in Victoria on Broughton Street. The Beachcomber chain all seemed to be quite 'Tikified' with some great decor so this was probably a decent place. Besides swizzle stix, garnish pic's and matchbooks, nothing much has surfaced from this location. Victoria's location of the Beachcomber was closed in the early 1980's and the original building was torn down. A new high rise with offices above and shops below was built. This is what it looks like today: I did however, find a couple places of noteworthy interest that I want to share in this thread as opposed to giving them their own threads. I really think the info. will be lacking until someone can actually do some real investigating over on the Island. I'm more than happy to start it off though!! First up was this little Ad that caught my eye because of the....well....you know: The Hawaiian Fantasy Restaurant And Dinner Club had the address of 820 Esquimalt St. in Victoria. I thought the name was a bit funny as they really don't mess around with some exotic name or title. They get right down to business! I also like "Super Smorg Canadian Style"! Yes, I know, enter your Canadian jokes here. I know....everything covered in Maple Syrup! Mmm Hmm.... This Ad dates to January 1st of 1987. I do know that the Hawaiian Fantasy Restaurant and Dinner Club (I like saying that:) ) were no longer listed in 1989 but I don't have any earlier dates as to their possible opening date or really any more info. This is what the building looks like now as the Esquimalt Bingo Palace: You can definitely see some style to the building that has now been sterilized. It wouldn't be too hard to picture this place as a Hawaiian Dinner Club with some great neon, bamboo, dark wood trim and all the goodies! Next up I have a Ad from the Outrigger Restaurant Ltd. which was located at 120 Commercial Street in Nanaimo, BC. Not the best of Ad's but still evidence of Polynesian Restaurants on the Island! The building where this address would be, looks to be of new construction so I would say this is another place that was torn down and rebuilt. The address now is 101 Commercial as there looks to be no #120 at all. The Ad dates from November of 1980. Here's what it looks like today: No more info. on this one. And to finish this off, this Ad with a great font jumped right off the page at me: I seem to remember that font, and subject, used somewhere else as well but can't quite place it. The Mai Tai boasts of "probably" (cause they weren't sure!) having "The Greatest Salad Bar On The Island"! Now how many Polynesian places can say that??!! The Mai Tai Dining Lounge was located at 6161 Genoa Bay in Duncan, BC. This Ad also dates from November of 1980. The next Ad was really promising for this place: I recognized that Tiki and Torch straight away! Stolen menu graphics from the Tahitian Restaurant in California!! This Ad is great as it shows quite an elaborate A-Frame Building with lot's of vegetation and boasting "The Island's Most Magnificent Waterfront Restaurant". Overall with the Mai Tai Font, Tiki and great building, this is a really cool Ad!! This Ad is dated from January of 1988 and I know this Restaurant was listed in 1989 as well but not in 1993. Unfortunately, I could not find anything at that address or even the immediate area. Looks like the building is long gone now. This one will have to get some more research done on it. Hopefully someone will do some searching and stumble across these places and maybe fill us in a bit. That's it for now. Mahalo, TabooDan

Since the last page ended and the top of this one discussed a place on Vancouver Island called the Waikiki Restaurant, I figured I would look into it a little. I mean very little!! I don't go over to the Island at all so it is hard to do real hands on research.
Well guess what, I didn't find out anything!!

So I figure we'll keep this on Vancouver Island a little bit here.
I know that Comox and alot of the Islands towns and cities are big with retirees and veterans (couple military bases out there) so it would be a great place to have these Tropical or Polynesian Bars and Restaurants. Remind the elders of their times abroad!

We know of a Lum's Polynesian Restaurant in Victoria which is, quite honestly, a Chinese joint with a cool name. Much better than this would have been one of the Beachcomber Restaurant locations which was in Victoria on Broughton Street. The Beachcomber chain all seemed to be quite 'Tikified' with some great decor so this was probably a decent place. Besides swizzle stix, garnish pic's and matchbooks, nothing much has surfaced from this location.

Victoria's location of the Beachcomber was closed in the early 1980's and the original building was torn down. A new high rise with offices above and shops below was built. This is what it looks like today:

I did however, find a couple places of noteworthy interest that I want to share in this thread as opposed to giving them their own threads. I really think the info. will be lacking until someone can actually do
some real investigating over on the Island. I'm more than happy to start it off though!!

First up was this little Ad that caught my eye because of the....well....you know:

The Hawaiian Fantasy Restaurant And Dinner Club had the address of 820 Esquimalt St. in Victoria.
I thought the name was a bit funny as they really don't mess around with some exotic name or title. They get right down to business! I also like "Super Smorg Canadian Style"! Yes, I know, enter your Canadian jokes here. I know....everything covered in Maple Syrup! Mmm Hmm....

This Ad dates to January 1st of 1987. I do know that the Hawaiian Fantasy Restaurant and Dinner Club (I like saying that:) ) were no longer listed in 1989 but I don't have any earlier dates as to their possible opening date or really any more info. This is what the building looks like now as the Esquimalt Bingo Palace:

You can definitely see some style to the building that has now been sterilized. It wouldn't be too hard to picture this place as a Hawaiian Dinner Club with some great neon, bamboo, dark wood trim and all the goodies!

Next up I have a Ad from the Outrigger Restaurant Ltd. which was located at 120 Commercial Street in Nanaimo, BC.

Not the best of Ad's but still evidence of Polynesian Restaurants on the Island! The building where this address would be, looks to be of new construction so I would say this is another place that was torn down and rebuilt. The address now is 101 Commercial as there looks to be no #120 at all.
The Ad dates from November of 1980. Here's what it looks like today:

No more info. on this one.

And to finish this off, this Ad with a great font jumped right off the page at me:

I seem to remember that font, and subject, used somewhere else as well but can't quite place it.
The Mai Tai boasts of "probably" (cause they weren't sure!) having "The Greatest Salad Bar On The Island"! Now how many Polynesian places can say that??!! The Mai Tai Dining Lounge was located at 6161 Genoa Bay in Duncan, BC. This Ad also dates from November of 1980.

The next Ad was really promising for this place:

I recognized that Tiki and Torch straight away! Stolen menu graphics from the Tahitian Restaurant in California!! This Ad is great as it shows quite an elaborate A-Frame Building with lot's of vegetation and boasting "The Island's Most Magnificent Waterfront Restaurant". Overall with the Mai Tai Font, Tiki and great building, this is a really cool Ad!! This Ad is dated from January of 1988 and I know this Restaurant was listed in 1989 as well but not in 1993.

Unfortunately, I could not find anything at that address or even the immediate area. Looks like the building is long gone now. This one will have to get some more research done on it.

Hopefully someone will do some searching and stumble across these places and maybe fill us in a bit.
That's it for now.
Mahalo, TabooDan

Post #600998 by TabooDan on Thu, Aug 4, 2011 10:01 PM