Tiki Tiki Restaurant

Maybe you've passed by this place on Patterson Avenue in the far West End. It's in a stand alone building, red with a green roof - and a Tiki god standing watch by the door. It's easy to miss, in between a strip mall and a barbecue joint that looks like a car garage.

The Wife and I stumbled onto Tiki Tiki a few years ago because it reminded us of a place in Roanoke (The Wife's hometown) - Fiji Island.

On a recent trip, something was different. The food tasted fresher - down to the cabbage in the egg rolls. I inquired to the waitress, and she confirmed that yes, they were under new management - and a new chef. They prepped food daily and had begun making most things in house. What a difference.

The Wife and I have a tradition - we start with the Pu Pu Platter, I get a cup of hot and sour soup and we split an entree.

This most recent trip was no different. I started with a Tiki Tiki - all of their drinks come in various tropical glasses - and are citrusy, not sugary sweet.

The Pu Pu platter (my apologies for a lack of a photo - we were starving, and only half way through realized we hadn't taken a picture!!) comes with chicken wings, breaded shrimp, Chinese ribs, crab rangoon and the steak on a stick. And of course, the fire in the middle with a mini grill for cooking the beef.

The Hot and Sour Soup was great - tasted very fresh with the right amount of heat and tang.

For entree we split the Orange Beef - extra spicy. I think they actually used szechuan peppercorns, because my tongue tingled all night.

This is half of the serving - and we had more than enough for lunch the next day.

This is one of our favorite places in Richmond. The food is great and the staff is always friendly - the perfect place to spend a low key evening. They also feature chef's specials like lobster, crab legs and soft shells. Definitely worth the trip.