Canadian Tiki Postcards

This is in response to my esteemed Tikifish's request in a previous thread. I only have a few postcards in my collection from Canada, but here they are:

Trader Vic's in Vancouver, Canada. "One of Trader Vic's internationally famed restaurants at Vancouver's Bayshore Inn on the shores of the Pacific. Here diners enjoy exotic South Sea or Continental fare with a breathtaking view of the magnificent harbour, the mountains and Stanley Park."

KON-TIKI -- "Canada's newest, exotic Polynesian restaurant. Created and supervised by Steve Crane, and located in the Sheraton-Mt. Royal Hotel, Montreal. Authentic food and beverages from the South Seas are served in a lush, tropical atmosphere."

CHEZ PAREE Hawaiian Lounge - 1258 Stanley Street, Montreal. This place still exists under the same name, but is now a strip club.

Fort Nelson Motor Hotel, Fort Nelson, British Columbia. "The Tiki Totems and Fountain form an exotic centerpiece for the beautiful Tiki Courtyard. The Tiki Courtyard features luxurious rooms, good food, and a heated pool and sauna. This warm tropical oasis is a delightful surprise to the weary travellers after their often rough and dusty (or muddy) trip along the Alaska Highway"

I love the obvious influence of native North American carvers on these Polynesian-style tikis.

Ruby Foo's Restaurant - Montreal, Canada
I've seen a great exotic drink menu from Ruby Foo's, but am not sure if it was for the restaurant in New York, or Montreal.

The Famous "Bamboo Room" of the Pagoda Restaurant in the Churchill Plaza, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Featuring the finest Authentic Chinese Foods and Delicious american Cuisine. Licensed for your favorite Cocktails as well."

This one isn't really tiki, but I like those old lamps.

If anyone else has paper from other forgotten Canadian tiki spots, please post them. I know there's lots out there.

Sabu

I guess the "Bamboo Room" refers to that bamboo folding screen way in the background!

Thanx Sabu, for the lovely pics, especially Vic's in Vancouver (my adopted town). I'd never seen it before it was gutted, defaced, dismembered. This is a keeper - in my home, that means I burn it to a CD and cherish it forever...

:), emspace

It seems Quebec and Vancouver have more than their fair share of tiki, and Toronto was left high and dry. This may be due to the fact that Toronto was a very conservative, Presbyterian, closed-on-Sunday, kind of town in the 50's and 60's, and not really thought of as an eating/drinking destination like it is today.

I love the postcards Sabuuuuu! By still no Toronto tiki retro fun! Please, anyone, everyone - scour your postcards!

Wait, that sounded like I was complaining. May I once better reiterate how kind it was of you to post those? Thanks! You rocketh me mightily, my liege.

Nice cards! If you look on the wall directly behind and in front of the gentleman's head in the Kon Tiki Sheraton postcard you will notice a very large Fijian Sali warclub, similar to ones I carve. This type of club was seen in almost every major tiki bar. Guess it just has that right blend of menace and grace!

Here's some Canadian menu pics :

tropical drinks menu has " The Showplace of Montreal" on back.

Beachcomber, Carlton Motor Hotel, Winnipeg, & Ky-Tiki, Regina Inn, BC (no city mentioned - does anyone know where this place was ? )

Tapa Room, Royal Towers Motor Hotel, New Westminster, BC

Haven't found anything for Toronto yet.

[ Edited by: puamana on 2003-05-01 11:43 ]

Oooh, aaahhhh, prairie Tiki (Winnipeg)! I'm from Edmonton, could swear the Tiki place I knew as a child was called the Beachcomber, and it was in the Sheraton Caravan Hotel downtown. If anyone finds ANYTHING (menu, swizzles, postcards...) from this place - well, I'd walk over hot coals wearing nothing but my wallet.

Tikifish, Vancouver may once have had Tiki, now it has jack, with the exception of the Waldorf's CLOSED bars, which are in a rotten neighbourhood anyway - I wouldn't be attending regularly even if they were open, it'd be all, er, "skids" is the Toronto term I believe. So don't feel too left out. The object here is for all us Canuck Tikiphiles to move either to SoCal or the Islands, but for now I dream and collect...

aloha,
emspace.

P.S. if the "Regina Inn" was in BC, it'd probably have been New Westminster too, the "Queen City". If BC is possibly an error, Regina is the capital of Saskatchewan.

cheers,
em

Hey Sabu,

Love the pics. I’m from Montreal, and I was blown away when I saw the Chez Paree matchbook. Chez Paree has a reputation as being Montreal’s “upscale” strip club that caters to businessmen and visiting celebrities (I seem to recall seeing pictures of Rod Stewart being fawned over by silicone-enhanced strippers somewhere, but I digress).

I never knew Chez Paree was a Hawaiian Lounge before becoming a peeler-bar. Of course, now I have to deal with the thought that I would not normally go to such a place to see naked women, but I would have gone there to see tikis. There’s one for Sigmund Freud!

Thanks for posting the pics!
Aloha

emspace,

You are right, BC was an error ( the menu just has the name Regina Inn on the back, with no address ).
After a quick search I found the Regina Inn on Broad St. in Regina is still in business. No Ky-Tiki though ( there is a restaurant called Vic's Steakhouse that's there now, I wonder if that could be what replaced the Ky - Tiki). Thanks so much for the info, its good to finally know where the Ky- Tiki was located.

[ Edited by: puamana on 2003-05-02 16:03 ]

Found a few more for Canadian tiki spots, here's 3 matchcovers:

Cafe Hale Hakala in Montreal, Restaurant Waikiki in St-Jean, & Mauna Loa Lounge at the Mayfair Hotel in Portage La Prairie.

Portage La Prairie - I beleive that's the first Manitoba Tiki Bar I have heard of! Excellent. Of course it ain't there anymore...

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!

:), emspace.

Thanks so much for posting those! I love the Beachcomber in Winnipeg matches! That was the coolest Tiki bar/restaurant. I still remember the stars on the ceiling! If a city ever needed a Tiki Bar it was Winnipeg!

found this postcard ....also does anybody know what happened to the other photos?

this one is the BEACHCOMBER in Winnipeg Manitoba, enjoy!

Wow, way to dig up an old thread from six years ago! I think you are looking for the more current one that is here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29014&forum=5&start=0&40

Mahalo!