Kowloon 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.’

Lim 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.

He 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.

But 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.

By 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.

The 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.

Lim 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.

A 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.

Every 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.

We believe the Kowloon closed in the 1970s.