Ridiculously named Vancouver restaurants

[snacky_cat]

To commemorate the passing of everybody's favourite oddly-named Vancouver eatery, I thought I would start the weird-names thread. What better way to honour our fallen ghetto-flavoured soup joint, and to find its successor as Restaurant-as-Punchline.

So chime in with your favourite strange restaurant name. Might as well open it up to oddly-named dishes too.

I'll start. Tony's Beef Noodle on Cambie around 41st. The only thing that would make it worse would be calling it Tony's Beefy Noodle. Maybe they could only afford so many characters for the sign.

[kurtisk]

I used to work at a place in the early '90s that was in the current Tapastree spot. It was a seafood restaurant and it was called Flipper's. It was also my second worst restaurant job of all time.

[maxmillan]

This isn't a restaurant but it could sounds like one, "Taste Hair Salon" in Chinatown.

[Ducky]

I have always loathed, and refuse to patronize, restaurants the name of which includes the name of an animal that is not on the menu.

eg.

Frog and Firkin, Smoking Dog, The Jade Rabbit, Elephant & Castle, Flamingo Grill, Le Crocodile, Bearfoot Bistro, Octopus's Garden etc

I also avoid all restaurant with terminally cute names.

eg. A Kettle of Fish, Dem Bones, Death by Chocolate, My Big Fat Greek Cafe, Sushi Q, The Rebellious Tomato, Cloud 9 etc.

Call me old fashioned.

[Mooshmouse]

I have always loathed, and refuse to patronize, restaurants the name of which includes the name of an animal that is not on the menu.

eg.

Frog and Firkin, Smoking Dog, The Jade Rabbit, Elephant & Castle, Flamingo Grill, Le Crocodile, Bearfoot Bistro, Octopus's Garden etc

Call me old fashioned.

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In the case of the latter three, I'd call you silly for missing out on some wonderful dining experiences, all for the sake of a name.

[Ducky]

A man has to have a few principles - and these have served me well.

I once knew a girl called Gladys. But not for long. I believe it was the right call.

[baconburner]

To commemorate the passing of everybody's favourite oddly-named Vancouver eatery, I thought I would start the weird-names thread. What better way to honour our fallen ghetto-flavoured soup joint, and to find its successor as Restaurant-as-Punchline.

So chime in with your favourite strange restaurant name. Might as well open it up to oddly-named dishes too.

I'll start. Tony's Beef Noodle on Cambie around 41st. The only thing that would make it worse would be calling it Tony's Beefy Noodle. Maybe they could only afford so many characters for the sign.

←

Hi

This is not the name of a restaurant but I got a real chuckle out of a sign in front of a Nanaimo fried chicken place that proudly said

"Try our Terminal location"

Cheers

Baconburner

[mamacat]

It's not a Vancouver restaurant, just a rather a tacky TV commercial yet I chuckle each time I see "Sam 'n Ella's Chicken" with the aforementioned Sam and Ella standly forlornly in the window of their deserted restaurant. Lovely play on words!

[chef jeff]

I get all annoyed at the bad Thai restaurant names that somehow use the word "thai" in a sentance.

thai away home

thai one on

etc.

maybe there could be a thai sports bar called "thai game"

s&m dinner club called "thai me up, thai me down"

"Thai that yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree"

the possibilities are endless.

also, there used to be a restaurant on Kingsway out by Metro Town called Foody-Goody. The name says it all!

[chef koo]

in richmond there was a place called "happy lucky house cafe". i'm sure there's something lost in the translation.

[chef jeff]

Before we took over the space that is now Aurora, it used to be a chinese reataurant called Gou Bouli. Not sure if that spelling is correct, but I was told it meant something like "the dog doesn't care"

if that's not odd enough for ya...

[ghillie]

I was always partial to a chinese restaurant I passed daily that was named Tin Chew, now lo longer extant. Always made me shudder thinking of foil wrapped takeout where you threw the contents away and ate the wrapping.

[kontemporary]

I like O-Kee Wonton House on Granville Street. I can't figure whether they did that on purpose or not.

[jBo]

I've never been to Vancouver, but there used to be a restaurant in Jacksonville, FL named "Yings Chinee Takee Outee".

Thanks for letting me butt in.

[Vancouver]

Octopus Garden

Don't they serve Tako (octopus) at Octopus Garden?

Cheers!

[Daddy-A]

Not sure if that spelling is correct, but I was told it meant something like "the dog doesn't care"

Ummm ... I think the dog might care if the chef was standing behind him with a cleaver ...

Octopus Garden

Don't they serve Tako (octopus) at Octopus Garden?

After one inning, the score is Vancouver:1, Ducky:0

Wasn't there a place on Main near Pender called Fuk Yew? In Portland, we're just blocks away from "Miso Happi".

A.

[hopkin]

The Ordinary Cafe

Dennis adapted the french term 'cafe ordinaire'. Translated I find it awkward since I find his food far from 'ordinary'. Had some great meals there.

Edited August 1, 2005 by hopkin (log)

[shelora]

Gone but not forgotten places in Victoria:

Pina's Grocery Store

A Touch of Greece - always made me laugh.

Never did make it to Rong's Restaurant - I think I made the right decision!

And the classic Portland restaurant, Hung Far Low. Its a beaut!

[chef jeff]

shopping list for pina's grocery store:

cucumber

daikon

baguette

sausages

sorry, I had to.

[Ling]

I guess it's because I can speak both Cantonese and English, but I think Ho Tak Kee is a pretty funny name ("Ho" in Cantonese sounds like the word for "very"...so I think "Very Tacky" Restaurant).

Or what about "The Pit" at UBC...

[sanrensho]

Stupidest name ever for a restaurant: "Sushi Boy."

Also, I found out that there is a "Nagano Sushi" in Kelowna. For those that know, Nagano Prefecture is in the middle of Japan. So this is the equivalent of "Prairie Seafood House."

Now, there is a remote possibility that someone named Nagano owns the aforementioned restaurant, but I still wouldn't associate sushi with Nagano anything.

[coho8888]

Wasn't there a place on Main near Pender called Fuk Yew? In Portland, we're just blocks away from "Miso Happi".

A.

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[Ling]

Stupidest name ever for a restaurant: "Sushi Boy."

←

What about "Sushi Bang" on W. Broadway?

[sanrensho]

What about "Sushi Bang" on W. Broadway?

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Mind-meld moment! That was the first place I thought of. For some reason, I was thinking it was "Sushi Bomb," but Google didn't turn up anything.

The restaurant names in Chinese and other non-English languages don't bother me at all, just like I don't giggle when I hear a foreign word that sounds unflattering in English (he said, "Fuk!" giggle giggle). I work in a foreign language too often to get a kick out of that stuff.

Poor English renderings of foreign language restaurant names are much worse, especially when it involves butchering the English language.

[kontemporary]

Not really a restaurant, but I do love ordering "Fukien Fried Rice" at Chinese restaurants too

Edited August 2, 2005 by rêvasser (log)