Golden Garden Tokyo, North Hampton, NH (restaurant)

Name:Golden Garden Tokyo
Type:restaurant
Street:32 lafayette Road, Route 1
City:North Hampton
State:NH
Zip:03862
country:USA
Phone:603-964-7887
Status:operational

Description:
Szechuan, Mandarin & japanese Cuisine features a dining room, Lounge & Take Out. Serving traditional appetizers, entrees and full cocktail menu from traditional inspired recipes.The restaurant is decorated minimally, the lounge is low budget sports bar with 27" TV, juke box, cigarette machine and dart board. New Hampshire still allows smoking in the lounge and the lounge is smoke filled, dark and frequented by 50 something locals. Tiki Mugs are still in fashion, not in the full 50's implementation, but with 3 or 4 styles, scorpion bowls and Pineapple mugs still in fashion. The waitstaff is asian and friendly. Large menu from sushi to tempura to chinese specialties.

I live on the border of Mass/NH about 30 miles from the famous Kowloon - our local area is overrun with "chinese" take-out joints. Most don't have a bar and feature decent quality takeout. Only a few "lounges" still exist. Golden Garden features a low end "sports bar" lounge with outdated TV's and 50 something locals as regulars. That said, they still feature a couple friendly bartenders that know traditional drink recipes and still serve them in Tiki Mugs. Tonite - I took out the "Golden Garden Appetizer Platter" a Pu-Pu platter with fantastic Pork eggrolls, Crab Rangoon, Boneless spareribs, Chicken wings, Boneless chicken fingers and Steak Teriyaki sticks! It serves two for 12.95. I had a Mai Tai, served in a usual clear Hi-ball glass with lime and cherry (no Mint) - It was a little sweet. I then had a Zombie as I waited for my to - go order. It was served in a delightful headhunter tiki mug which made me happy - scorpion bowls for one or full size are available as are coconut mugs and pineapple mugs. This place is no tiki bar - but when you crave a "Tiki" drink and a loyal Polynesian app or meal, - it's a satisfying and traditional Polynesian/asian "joint" in a true Northeast United States style. I just moved back from 15 years living in southern California -and Polynesian/asian food differs incredibly from the southwest to the northeast. I am partial to the NE polynesian style. Golden Garden Tokyo is no Kowloon, or Kahiki but it fills you up with decent food and drinks in retro style recipes and presentation! I like it there, I have a couple drinks while I wait, but I take the food to go!

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[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2007-01-12 17:34 ]

It's not Polynesian some of the dishes might have some Hong Kong influences. It's very traditional Chinese. You would have to go to Chinatown or maybe China to find some of the things on their menu. They do have great appetizers like you had. Check out the rest of the menu and you will see they even have a Dim Sum menu. Also a great Sushi menu too. There are many great mainland China regional dishes you would never see in a Polynesian place. They have extensive noodle and rice selections. Large selection of soups and they even have salad on the Sushi menu. The have a buffet at lunch time too.

They are currently changing the decor and making it more Asian, Shojin screen separators and traditional Chinese needlepoint artwork have been some of the resent changes. You have to understand this place started out as an Amercian seafood place. The dinning room still has a boat shape. The bars irregular shaped counter tops not tiki like but more nautical driftwood like. They do have Tiki cups and serve drinks in them but that's about it. Hey don't get me wrong it's a great restaurant but it's not very Tiki.

I wish I could point you to one in your area that is Tiki. You are right Kowloons a Tiki place and probably the best example of a Tiki place I can think of but not that near to your area. There was a place in Amesbury, MA but it's gone out of business a long time ago. It reopened as a more traditional Chinese place and then went out of business again and last time I went by was still closed. Maybe someone will reopen it as a Tiki place and it will come full cirle again?

I have not gone in Chin Chins in Salisbury MA in a long time so I don't remember but they might be more Tiki. However they are mostly a Taiwanese resturant.