The Limehouse Restaurant
Established in 1963, the restaurant was located on 4375 Mission Bay Drive in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. It closed in 1988.
History
The Limehouse Restaurant was founded by Kwan’s father Fred Hing Jung who sold his Hop Lee Chong Laundry business in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego. Fred, who was a PFC and worked as a cook while serving in the Army, opened the Limehouse Restaurant one week after Kwan arrived from Hong Kong into this land of opportunities. Kwan was destined to continue in the laundry business, but he and his father started fresh, knowing nothing about running a restaurant. With their employees and hard work, they learned the business making it last 25 years.
Kwan and Yee Wah decorated the interior with their paintings and through the years, many local celebrities frequented the restaurant including actor Desi Arnaz, politician Tom Hom, anchorman Jack White, somewhat infamous former Mayor Frank Curran, McDonald’s owner Ray Kroc, Superintendent Thomas Goodman and newscaster Hal Clement. The Limehouse itself was even mentioned in the science fiction novel “Timescape” by Gregory Benford. According to family lore, Desi and Fred hung out at the Del Mar Racetrack.
Lifelong friends also came about through the restaurant, most significantly fellow artists Frederic Whitaker and his wife Eileen Monaghan Whitaker who helped Kwan achieve National Academician membership with the National Academy of Design. These connections fostered participation in monthly "Circle Group" artist support meetings with the Whitakers and other artist of the time such as Stanislaus Sowinski and Roy and Barbara Madsen.
Recipes
After the restaurant closed, Kwan and a mysterious "Mrs. Smith" of Laguna Beach intended to develop a cookbook called "Side by Side" featuring the restaurant's recipes paired with American recipes developed by Mrs. Smith who was a chef with her own cookbooks. Unfortunately, "Side by Side" never came about due to life and family matters.