Formosa Tea House News

Peter Rukavina

Big news on the Formosa front: the couple that runs the venerable University Ave. restaurant in Charlottetown has purchased the former Big Mommas location on Prince Street, all 3000 square feet of it, and plans to either move there entirely, or keep the existing location open and open a new branch there. The menu will be expanded on Prince St., and they plan to open one floor to start, with others to follow. Expect an opening date of next spring.

Let’s hope they can break through the curse on that building: it’s been so many restaurants, from so many owners, over the time we’ve been on the Island that we’ve stopped counting (and, a couple of owners ago, stopped going, just because we expected the worst). Apparently this isn’t a new curse, either: I talked to someone today who’s got 15 years on me, and he said the same has been true all his life as well.

If anyone can make that location work, it will be the tenacious couple at the Formosa. Here’s hoping they make a good go of it; I know that our family will be regular and enthusiastic customers there, especially as they’ll be only 2 blocks from our house.

Amazing, isn’t it, the explosion and success of interesting food in Charlottetown in the past year. I remember reading a fantastic column by Len Russo in the Eastern Graphic several years back: he was writing about the arrival of the Just Juicin’ juice bar to Queen St., and compared it to the arrival of pizza on the Island in the early 1970s in importance and earth-shakingness. I think we’re into another quake now.

I really miss Len’s column in the Graphic; he’s a fantastic writer, one of the best columnists I’ve ever read regularly. Our loss in Canadian Tire’s gain.

Comments

Submitted by Isaac on

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Best of luck to them for sure. I just hope they keep the university ave. location. We get up, and move within minutes of it, and then they move? No fair.

Submitted by Mandy on

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Hey now, they’re not going to far Isaac.. don’t be afraid of a little walking eh doll :- P …

I like the little spot they have now, it’s part of the charm. I can’t really remember much of the inside of the former Big Momma’s, but I do hope they don’t have the new location to “open”. The Interlude and Formosa are sweet because they are small..

either way, best of luck to them. Thanx for the heads up Mr. Rukavina

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Photo of Peter RukavinaI am . I am a writer, letterpress printer, and a curious person.

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