Cherikoff Bakery & Restaurant, 184 Nathan Road [????- ]

Submitted by David on Sat, 04/06/2013 - 22:11
Current condition
Unknown

Marker's position is approximate. A 1970 directory lists them at 184 Nathan Road.

Photos that show this Place

cherikoff russian bakery and confectionary the china mail page 3 23rd december 1958
1958
1980 Souvenir from Cherikoff Restaurant - Photo Holder for Key Chain
1980
????

Comments

Hello all,

I found my way to this website because there is such a rich seam of information about Russian eateries in HK here; I am hoping against hope that someone might be able to help me find the original location of the North Point branch of Cherikoff's. My father and mother first met there in the early 60's where my dad was working, he worked in the restaurant kitchen; my mum originally was employed at the Nathan Road branch, but I never got the actual location of the North Point branch; since my dad went up to the great Cherikoff's in the sky a couple of years ago, I have been back to HK several times and asked around, but I couldn't find any information there; would anyone here know? So far, this website is the closest I have come to finding an answer, any information would be helpful!

many thanks

P.S. I am aware that there is a Cherikoffs near Prince Edward MTR as of my last trip (June '15) but it is apparently just a bakery, not a restaurant; anyone know anything more about this branch?

Hello David,

I can confirm exact location of Cherikoff on Nathan Road a little better. I used to live in 30 Austin Road (opposite the barracks). My grand mother used to live in 11 Hillwood Road. Cherikoff was on the other side of Hillwood Road from that shown on your mark on the map. If I remember correctly it was right next to the driveway that took you up to St Andrew's Church next door and there used to be a photography studio upstairs, we had family portraits taken there. I'll see if I can find one of them and see if there is a name for that studio.

Bob

It looks as though the restaurant moved about, as so far we have three addresses - all near each other but different:

  • 1959: 188 Nathan Road
  • 1960: 174-176 Nathan Road
  • 1970: 184 Nathan Road

Chefikoff Bakery & Restaurant was one of those half dozen "Russian" restaurants blossomed in 1970s. Cherikoff Restaurant was supposed to be owned by Cherikoff family, last owner was known as Vic who migrated to Australia 30 years ago. The current rundown business as a bakery is located in Mongkok, near Prince Edward MTR Station exit B2. BY chance I was in Sydney and listened to an ABC program on Vic Cherikoff who re-invented himself as a goumet in natural and indigenous food in Australia. I listed below links to his references but unfortunately the audio recording of that particular interview is no longer available for download from ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 

https://www.facebook.com/vic.cherikoff?__tn__=%2CdC-R-R&eid=ARC6_RCT1HN…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0C5QXdUJu4

 Hi Sam

Just to let you know that Vic Cherikoff and his wife Sonya were very good friends of my parents, also White Russian Emigres, who knew them in Shanghai as well.  The Cherikoffs, together with their son Vitaly and daughter-in-law Ludmilla, left Hong Kong in the early 1950s for Sydney so that would be 66-odd years ago, not 30 laugh

The Vic Cherikoff you heard on the ABC was the grandson of the HK Vic Cherikoff and yes, as you said, he's into bush tucker and other foods which grow in the Australian bush. smiley

You might be interested to see a photo of the Cherikoffs' son's wedding to Ludmilla from 1950.  The bridesmaids were Nellie Tkachenko (her father owned Tkachenko's Russian Restaurant on Hankow Road) and Irina (Ira) Smirnoff (eldest daughter of George (Yuri) Smirnoff, the person who painted those beautiful watercolours of Macao), as well as two other girls whom I didn't know.  My mother was matron of honour, and my sister Lindy and I were flowergirls. 

I've marked some names on the group photo for easy reference! laugh

Cheers

Nona

1950 Cherikoff wedding at Russian Orthodox Church, Kowloon Tong
1.001.jpg, by Nona Pio-Ulski

Interesting to read about the HK Cherikoff bakery restaurant that my grandfather started. I often wonder what I'd be doing if my family had stayed in Hong Kong rather than coming to Sydney. Clearly I would not be workiing in my area of expertise in wild food supply development and nutrition. Life was tough as a 'foreign' (yet Australian-born) kid in school with predominantly middle class, white, anglosaxon schoolmates who were challenged by anything other than bland, meat and 3-veg meals, pies full of over-boiled meat drowned in tomato sauce for flavour and sweet buns full of mock cream and jam filling as a pre-diabetic sugar hit. If you didn't fight, you lost.

It was probably this background that drove me to a science degree (actually the equivalent of 3 of them) and a lifelong passion with both, the Australian Outback and the First Nation people of the world's longest living culture. I saw the knowledge that facilitated 65,000 years of living in this land is just as important today as it was during times of extended drought, flooding, wild fires and even Ice Ages and rising sea levels.

We now know that wild foods protected our First Nation people from most cancers, diabetes, CHD and most of the other diseases of nutrition. I market a product I call LIFE (Lyophilized Indigenous Food Essentials)™ and it appears to address most of the health issues that are so critical now that our modern foods are no longer up to the job of keeping us healthy. LIFE is based on 14 key Australian wild foods and over 20 other conventional superfoods from around the world.

I do regret only having the information to make such a product some 26 years after my mother (Ludmilla but known as Lucy in Australia) died very young from pancreatic cancer. Researchers now even have an Australian plant extract that is effective against pancreatic cancer specifically but LIFE seems to work just as well.

My Mum told many stories of growing up in China (Harbin, Shanghai and Hong Kong) and her own childhood spent with the children of aunts and uncles, seemed to be a mix of playiing in the streets as much as avoiding adults and parents. Much of her early years were also mired in mystery as her parents separated and her step-father was not a kind man.

Such is life, I guess but the training we get as children never leaves us and often marks our outlook on life and programs reponses, both good and bad. I do know that Mum taught me that having children was not a good idea if you wanted a life of freedom and choices. Neither my sister nor I wanted to lose these options and we value her lesson.

I remember there was a Willy's Studio in a narrow building near the path going up to St. Andrew's Church.  I also remember the Siberian Fur Store in the vicinity near the corner of Nathan and Kimberly Road.

The photographer, whom we called Willy (by association) showed up at a lot of social functions such as weddings, birthday parties and Christmas parties held at Club de Recreio.

I am not sure but I think the same photographer later opened his own studio under the name Cambridge Wong Studio.  As I recall it might have been located in the Gloucester Building in Hong Kong.

 

I remember enjoying rather delicious lunchs at the 184 Nathan Road premises in the late 1980s together with my then girlfriend who was attending Diocesan Girls School at the time. 

I could not locate information on Cherikoff's address before World War II, but its address was 188 Nathan Road after the war, according to an announcement on SCMP on 21 Nov 1945:

"Bread is obtainable at the controlled price of 50 cents per pound at the following addresses........V. Cherikoff Confectionery, 188 Nathan Road, Kowloon..............."

In Aug 1951, SCMP reported that Mr V Cherikoff, accompanied by his wife, was leaving Hong Kong for Australia.  The business was sold to new operators, but its advertisements indicated that it stayed at 188 Nathan Road until 1961, when the following report appeared on SCMP on 13 Jan 1961:

"Compensation of $175,000 was recommended by a Tenancy Tribunal yesterday, to be paid to Cherikoff Restaurant & Bakery Ltd, tenant of the ground and first floors of 188 Nathan Road, Kowloon."  The reason was that the owner planned "to build a 16-storey building on the site."

Then on 4 Dec 1962, Wah Kiu Yat Po reported that Cherikoff had bought 184 Nathan Road and the new site restaurant would open for business on 5 Dec.  It stayed at that location until 4 Dec 1987, when SCMP reported that the business and property were further sold to Chung Wah Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, which planned to redevelop 184 Nathan Rd.   

Wah Kiu Yat Po 4 Dec 1962
Wah Kiu Yat Po 4 Dec 1962, by ashchoi

 

Cherikoff did not move out right away.  Guess it should have stayed at 184 Nathan Road until redevelopment works began.  Wah Kiu Yat Po reported on 8 Feb 1988 a case of vandalism at the restaurant, still located at 184 Nathan Rd.

Wah Kiu Yat Po 8 Feb 1988
Wah Kiu Yat Po 8 Feb 1988, by ashchoi