Iconic Ho Ho restaurant set to reopen in Chinatown once final renovations complete – BC | 24CA News

Carol Lee is nearing the top of a marathon restoration.

“It’s been a very long, arduous journey,” the philanthropist and Vancouver Chinatown Foundation chair informed Global News.

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Vancouver’s Chinatown seeing restaurant revival with Ho Ho set to reopen

Since 2015, Lee has been working to relaunch the long-lasting Ho Ho Restaurant in its authentic location within the Sun Ah Hotel on Pender Street at Columbia.

Vancouver metropolis council just lately authorised a grant of as much as $50,000 for the rehabilitation of the principal façade of the 1911 heritage constructing – together with replicating the historic institution’s register “true neon” tubing.

The cash is only a drop within the bucket in direction of the whole price ticket of reviving the landmark – however Lee stated she’s decided to succeed at any price.

New Ho Ho Restaurant supervisor Jason Ye stated they’re ready for a constructing allow improve to be authorised by the City of Vancouver earlier than contractors start work on the ultimate stretch.

“Once it’s approved, we can start renovations again and I expect in six months we’ll get the project complete here,” Ye stated.

When it opened in 1954, the unique Ho Ho anchored a neon strip of nightlife within the coronary heart of Chinatown.

Known for its vivid neon signal, which featured a bowl of noodles and chopsticks, the restaurant served homestyle Cantonese cooking for greater than 4 a long time.

“It was a place where people would come when they first moved here from all parts of the world – where Vancouverites used to celebrate different birthdays, anniversaries,” stated Lee.

Her late father, business chief and philanthropist Robert Lee, discouraged her from attempting to recreate a bit of historical past in a greater than century-old SRO constructing, which is situated on a flood plain.

“He goes, are you crazy? You can’t open it, too complicated.”

But Lee, who believes eating places are the important thing ingredient within the recipe for Chinatown’s revitalization, persevered.

She opened the Chinatown BBQ on the identical block in 2017, and the restaurant has seen sudden success.

“I thought the Ho Ho would probably be the granddaddy of that,” stated Lee.

“If we could reopen the Ho Ho, Chinatown’s back.”

When the unique Ho Ho signal was eliminated in 1997, Foo’s Ho Ho Restaurant moved in on the bottom ground for greater than a decade earlier than Lee took over the business in 2015.

Burnaby-based Galaxie Signs, which has constructed comparable marquees for Chinatown Plaza and the New Town Bakery, was employed in 2016 to breed the unique Ho Ho Restaurant’s classic neon signal.

Somy Basakha stated Galaxie acquired the design idea from heritage advisor John Atkin, together with some 1960 pictures.

“It took us 13 revisions to finish and get all the approval from the City of Vancouver, heritage department and the client,” Basakha informed Global News.

The new nine-metre-plus signal is made from aluminum and composite materials to face up to the climate, and after 400 human hours of labor, Galaxie stated it’s 75 per cent completed.

Like the unique marker, it refreshes the signature bowl of noodles with chopsticks whereas Galaxie needed to improvise to incorporate the zig-zag tag line and pagoda from the constructing’s cover, which is not there.

Those recreated options will as an alternative be added to the entrance wall.

“We are so excited to bring back part of history to that area,” stated Basakha.

Ye, who additionally manages the Chinatown BBQ, stated many seniors are desperate to dine on the Ho Ho once more.

“They’ve been asking me, Hey, when’s the Ho Ho open again?,” stated Ye.

“They even come to Chinatown and look around and see if the doors are open.”

Lee stated they are going to be bringing again outdated menu objects – together with the hen full of sticky rice – the primary dish individuals request.

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With an urge for food for reminiscences and neighborhood, SFU City Program director Andy Yan believes the signal and restaurant from Chinatown’s previous will mild a brighter future for the neighbourhood.

“It’s a journey of many steps and of course, this is a big leap,” Yan informed Global News in an interview.

The Ho Ho he stated, is an amazing icon for the neighborhood and Metro Vancouver and has introduced generations of individuals from all backgrounds collectively.

“You have people who have eaten there when they’re from 80 to eight,” stated Yan.

“It is one of those institutions that connect Vancouverites just right across the spectrum.”

Ye stated the brand new restaurant will replicate the unique foremost ground eating room, and have a dumbwaiter to hold meals from the basement to the bottom and second flooring.

The second stage, which can retain the unique crimson tile partitions on the again, will characteristic a 12-seat mezzanine bar with a view of Pender Street and occasion house seating for as much as 100 friends.

Lee, who had hoped to see the Ho Ho open in 2022, now plans to have the legendary eatery up and operating by this summer season – however that timeline is contingent on metropolis allowing and constructing repairs.

“This year I think, I feel pretty confident that it’ll open in 2023,” stated Lee.

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