Ugly dogs inspire new restaurant
The name of Olivia Anderson’s Richmond restaurant was inspired by her pets Phat Dog (left) and Little Dog. Photo: Anne Hardie.
Olivia Anderson’s dogs attract attention because they are just “so ugly” and now she is celebrating their ugliness by incorporating them into the name of her new Richmond restaurant, The Ugly Dog and Kitchen.
Even the menu of the tapas-based restaurant celebrates her canine friends with the typical all-day breakfast replaced by ‘in the doghouse’ breakfast and a platter called the ugly long board.
Even a simple fresh salad is no longer simple, but an ugly salad.
Cocktail drinks really get into the swing of all things doggy and often ugly, with the ugly mutt, dirty dog, salty pooch and dirty hound.
Olivia bought the larger of her two hairless Chinese Crested dogs off TradeMe because he looked cute and interesting, and though he is named after the woolly mammoth, Manny, he is usually called Phat Dog. When he was mated with another hairless Chinese Crested dog, she acquired tiny Missy – usually called Little Dog.
“People always say ‘oh my God, they’re so ugly! But they’re so cute as well’.”
Despite being recognised in the name and menu, the dogs will not be resident in the restaurant because “Phat Dog is grumpy and barks at everything going past”.
It will be a family affair in the restaurant with three of her daughters helping out and probably her son as well.
The restaurant replaces Aki Kitchen on Queen St and Olivia says it is somewhere for people to go for drinks and nibbles.