{"product_id":"kowloon-los-angeles-1960s","title":"Kowloon, Los Angeles 1960s","description":"\u003cp\u003eKowloon was a revered Los Angeles restaurant that opened in 1951 and served Cantonese cuisine and Tiki -style drinks. It was run by George Lim and Joe Ho, described by gossip columnist Joan Winchell as the ‘hosts with the most.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLim arrived in Los Angeles County from China in 1932, at the age of 16, to join his father, an unskilled manual worker. After his father’s death in 1935, it was Lim’s responsibility to support his mother and four brothers who remained in China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe worked on construction sites and then became a dishwasher, busboy and a cook in American and Chinese restaurants. By 1946, he was the owner and chef of a restaurant – a French restaurant called The Normandie.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut Lim, a Kowloon native, missed his own food and culture and, in a risky move, decided to sell The Normandie and sail, alone, back to China. There, he tracked down one of the best chefs in South China and offered him $800 – a fortune at the time – for the privilege of becoming the chef’s apprentice and learning the secrets of Cantonese cuisine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy 1949, Lim was back in Los Angeles and two years later, in partnership with his genial friend and co-host Joe Ho, opened the Kowloon. Both men did most of the work themselves, building a bar, installing fountains and planting a miniature Chinese garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Kowloon was discovered by newspapermen and women, who had traveled extensively and who admired the authentic Cantonese food. Local politicians and businessmen also made it their regular eating spot. Celebrities caught on too and soon there were lines outside the restaurant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLim and Ho added the Kwan Yin Room and Lim designed the Tiki-style décor himself in grass cloth and bamboo. Later, they added the Foreign Correspondent’s Room, a sophisticated bar and dining room with a plunging waterfall and décor in colors of peacock blue, lacquered red and yellow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA master mixer was on hand to make colorful drinks like the boo-loo - fruit juice blended with rum and served in a hollowed-out pineapple. Dishes include mandarin duck, paper-wrapped chicken and 16 types of chop suey, an Americanized dish never found in China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery night at 10pm, a $2 prix fixe and three course South Seas Supper was offered along with the choice of a Tahitian punch, Saigon Gimlet or martini or highball to late night revelers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe believe the Kowloon closed in the 1970s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson Ultrachrome HD archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003eEach order includes a print of the interior menu.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAll printed in USA.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vintage Menu Art","offers":[{"title":"8.5x11\" Archival Print (Unframed) $25.00","offer_id":57491960758438,"sku":"mkl1790052925744","price":15.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"11x14 Archival Print (Unframed) $30.00","offer_id":57491960791206,"sku":"sui1790052925745","price":18.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"13x19 Archival Print (Unframed) $40.00","offer_id":57491960823974,"sku":"hhx1790052925746","price":25.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20 Archival Print (Unframed) $55.00","offer_id":57491960856742,"sku":"qpg1790052925747","price":36.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x24 Archival Print (Unframed) $85.00","offer_id":57491960889510,"sku":"azr1790052925748","price":62.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36 Archival Print (Unframed) $135.00","offer_id":57491960922278,"sku":"kll1790052925749","price":99.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/9133\/8662\/files\/kowloon-los-angeles-1960s_1.webp?v=1790052932","url":"https:\/\/coffeetamper.shop\/products\/kowloon-los-angeles-1960s","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}