Hunt for Canberra's first Chinese-owned restaurant

His interest sparked by readers’ recollections of early Chinese restaurants in Canberra, the Canberra and District Historical Society’s Nick Swain is keen to investigate further for an article for the society.

He believes the Gloucester might have been the first restaurant and dance venue to offer Chinese food, with an advertisement on June 29, 1956. In April 1957, the unlikely named Casablanca claimed to be “Canberra’s only Chinese restaurant”.

As recalled by reader Wal Jurkiewicz, Happy’s Chinese opened at 7 Lonsdale Street, Braddon, in August 1957, billing itself as ‘‘Canberra’s first Chinese-owned restaurant’’. In November 1957, Ri Lee’s opened at 5 Bunda Street, in the city. Swain hasn’t found newspaper evidence yet of a Manuka Chinese recalled by readers.

Mary Boardman remembers it as Ri Lee’s, a play on owner Riley’s name, open in the late 1950s, and Peter Rimington remembers a Lee’s Inn, already open when he arrived in Canberra in 1960.

But Swain has only managed to track down a Lee’s Inn opened in Endeavour House, Manuka, from the mid 1960s. In May 1958, Lucky Chinese opened in Kingston, and the Pagoda opened in Manuka in November 1961. He’s keen for readers to fill the gaps: food.wine@canberratimes.com.au.