Orrange Kitchen + Bar has a mosaic of a menu

The menu at Orrange Kitchen + Bar in Port Coquitlam is kind of all over the place. 

There’s pineapple wok squid. Mexican street corn. Meatballs, poutine, lettuce wraps, and, of course, house-made fries. 

And that’s just the starters.

So what rhyme or reason landed all of these different cuisines on the same menu? 

“It’s [what] I like to eat,” laughed owner Brian Orrange when Eat Tri-Cities sat down with him for an interview at the tail end of 2022. 

Brian—whose last name, for the record, is apparently the result of a clerical error from when his Irish great-grandfather immigrated, and is pronounced just as you’d normally pronounce “orange”—says that the menu features his own re-creations of some of the best dishes he’s ever had.

“Every recipe on here has a story. From travels or dinner with friends and family, every recipe, and every drink recipe, has a story,” he said. 

“It’s not Asian fusion, it’s not Mediterranean; it’s food I enjoy. It’s if I’ve been somewhere and I’m like: ‘That’s awesome, I’ve gotta figure that out,’ or if I have memories of something.” 

The squid was inspired by a dish from his first date with his wife at Cardero’s. The gravy has the same taste as the poutine had at the hockey rink as a kid. The fries are the result of a 48-hour process he learned from the owner of a popular food truck in Sarnia, Ont.

But even with the creative menu, Brian says Orrange is often likened to the chain restaurants that dominate the Canadian casual dining scene—a world he used to occupy. 

“My background was all the big chains…So I have a lot of similarities to big chains so people think we're a big chain or that we’re affiliated with somebody,” he said. 

“We get compared to Earls and Joeys and Cactus Club and Brown’s—people don't realize that it's me, right? I own the joint. I live right here, just trying to make a living. Everybody that’s here all live in the area.”

Started in 2013, Orrange has become a staple in the area for patio beers, family dinners, and date nights alike. It has a sizable patio that was extended during the height of the pandemic, an upstairs mezzanine that can be booked for large parties/events, bi-weekly trivia, and a number of TVs showing whatever the big game happens to be on any given night.

Sitting in the restaurant’s lounge area, we couldn’t help but notice, and then promptly ask about, the Polaroid-covered fridge doors lining one of the walls. 

“The room is based after the basement I grew up in,” Brian said. “My dad’s rec room.” 

Brian’s dad Jack Orrange was also the inspiration for a particular drink on offer. 

“He drank Labatt Blue, so I have Labatt Blue at the bar.”

Orrange Kitchen + Bar can be found at #111 1125 Nicola Ave. in Port Coquitlam.