Restaurant Review: Vij's Restaurant
VIJ'S RESTAURANT
3106 Cambie Street ~ vijs.ca/vijs-restaurant Twitter: @EatDrinkVijs ~ Instagram: @eatdrinkvijs Co-Diners: Tim Golem, Erin Anderson & Joshua Mann
The most famous Chef in all of Vancouver has got to be Vikram Vij. Does anyone even consider any other Indian food in this city? No. The rest of Canada will recognize him as an investor on the TV show Dragons' Den. But here at home he is known for his four restaurants, a food truck, a frozen food line in grocery stores, and four books. Out of all of this, Vij's quintessential dining experience can be found at his flagship restaurant; Vij's Restaurant, which he opened in 1994. It has become one of the most well-known and recognized Indian restaurants not just in Vancouver, but across Canada. This place is decorated with accolades and here are a few that caught my eye: Vij's appeared on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, The Georgia Straight named them #1 Best Indian 2017 & #1 Best Indian 2018, they were #29 on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2015, #27 on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2016, #26 on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2017, and #50 on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2018, and Westender magazine chose them as #1 Best Indian 2017. When you're in Vancouver (and in Mount Pleasant), Vij's is a must-do. They don't take reservations so it's never a bad idea to arrive somewhat early to beat the rush. We visited on a Tuesday evening and were struck by the aroma of incense as we entered the door. This is exactly what I want my Indian dining experiences to be like! We proceeded to the lounge area to wait for a table and I gazed around at the ornate decor and deep jewel tones. The gorgeous tile work immediately caught my eye. Another thing that couldn't be ignored was the fact that Vikram Vij himself was standing right there, right in the middle of the lounge. I regret not going up to him and saying hello! After a short wait the attentive staff let us know that there was a table available for our party up on the rooftop patio. This sounded like the ideal way to spend a summer evening! We ascended the stairs and found ourselves on a terrace oasis, complete with a canopy, it's own bar, and tons of foliage. This patio was stunning. We felt miles away from the busy traffic on the street below. The servers at Vij's are excellent. There wasn't a single moment when I didn't feel completely taken care of. The vibe is unpretentious yet refined, and very friendly. I started by digging into the list of Vij's Cocktails. Looking for something playful and different, I found a drink called a Hisako under the "Neat" section of the menu. Unfortunately, I was informed that they no longer had this one available. Our server recommended that I try the Cambie Sour ($14.00) instead, found under the section of the menu labeled "Fun." I did want to have fun.
This drink was everything that I wanted it to be. Sweet, tart, refreshing, and fun. It didn't taste too boozy and it worked perfectly well as a summertime patio type of cocktail. It would be easy to drink far too many of these! The handwritten menu is lengthy and overwhelming, especially as first-timers. I've eaten a fair amount of Indian cuisine in my day (a shameful number of buffets) and I have a pretty good idea of what I like, but in a place like Vij's I didn't want to miss out on anything extra spectacular! Once again, our great server came to the rescue and helped to fill us in on all of the most popular dishes. At last we felt as though we had a plan! All of the dishes can be made into a "small plates" size, which is handy when it comes to sharing and trying more things. After a short wait our dinner began to arrive. First was the Jackfruit ($14.00) from the Starters section, which was served to us complimentary because someone in my group knew one of the staff members!
In black cardamom and cumin curry.
This preparation of jackfruit was a welcomed change from the "pulled pork" that I always tend to see. The tender jackfruit was very much akin to artichoke and I enjoyed the deep curry that it was bathed in. We even all ate a bit of the bird's eye chili that was included in the bowl. The accompanying naan bread was my first true sign of greatness. This very well may have been the best naan that I have ever eaten in my life. Crisp yet chewy, not overdone, and I could taste the quality of the flour used (my guess is '00' flour?). Absolutely perfect. (Does Vij import real Indian grandmas to make it??) Our next Starter to arrive were our Vij's 'Pork Spoons' ($5.50 each).
With apple-mint chutney.
These were served amuse-bouche style and were delicious little bites of flavour. The pork was juicy and savoury, very similar to pulled pork, and it played well with the fresh chutney. Next we moved on to our Mains section of the meal. The Wine Marinated 'Lamb Popsicles' ($32.00) came highly recommended and are regarded as the restaurant's signature dish.
In fenugreek curry.
This really was quite a lovely preparation of lamb, the tender meat as the star of the plate. Perfectly seasoned, the only thing that I wished for was more of it. The small morsels of lamb disappeared so quickly! The fenugreek curry was one of the best of the night, ultra creamy and flavourful.
We were intrigued by the Marinated Duck Breast ($18.00) and so we ordered this as a small plate.
In ground fennel seed curry.
I was a little bit disappointed with this one. I think that the main problem is that the plate was so small that once it was split four ways I barely felt like I tasted any of it. The duck itself was very nice and cooked to a desirable texture and doneness. I liked the stewy fresh vegetables on top. I just wish that I had experienced more.
We wanted to pick a dish from the Vegetable Mains section and everyone loves cheese so... Paneer, Ginger, Cilantro + Garlic Cakes ($26.00).
In creamy tomato curry.
I liked this however I found the consistency of the cakes a bit crumbly. The flavours were nice. The dense cheese was balanced well by the brighter ingredients.
Another dish that we decided to order as a small plate was the Braised Beef Shortribs ($18.00). Our server recommended this one as a great compliment to the lamb popsicles.
In fennel + mustard seed curry.
Similar to the duck situation, I didn't feel that there was nearly enough to go around. However, this beef was truly glorious. Ultra fall-apart tender, this beef melted in my mouth. It almost had a smoky flavour to it, which was delicious. And of course everything was served with naan and rice.
The rice was fairly standard fair but nice. The naan, again, was incredible. It should go without saying that I enjoyed this meal a lot. The sheer number of curries on the menu alone is impressive. There's almost too much to try! I also liked the sound of the rabbit with onion-jalapeno-ginger sautéed in raw sugar, samosas filled with lamb + beef, and the Punjabi style goat curry with spiced vegetables. I also noticed pakoras in the Bar Snacks section of the menu. There's just too much to choose from! I wish that a multi-course set menu would be offered. That way, you would get a great variety and a full meal served in the correct quantities. After the feast was complete we were treated to complimentary glasses of Moscato, a sweet white wine. Delicious and a perfect after dinner palate cleanser!
We didn't want to miss out on dessert and were given a verbal menu of three items to choose from. My husband and I shared the Almond Kheer ($8.00).
This was also available in coconut flavour as opposed to almond. Served cold, Kheer is an Indian rice pudding and this version was light and creamy. It was taken to the next level with the addition of a sheet of silver leaf adorning the top. I absolutely could not miss out on trying their chai. It is my favourite beverage, after all!
For some reason I was not charged for this. This chai was absolutely perfect and quite possibly the best chai that I've ever tasted. All other chais have been lying to me. I feel as if I've been hunting to find this for years! Perfectly brewed with a delicate balance of spices and sweetened with honey. It wasn't too sweet and it was the chai of my dreams. Can I get more of this to go?? The quality of the food at Vij's is evident. There is no butter chicken in sight, instead this is Indian food elevated to a much more refined level. I feel like I could use more time to really get into each of the plates and to bathe in the curries. While not every dish was a complete hit and the meal felt a bit confused to me, the successful elements were very strong. In the future I think that I may opt to order the Staff Meal, which sounds a lot more complete. I look forward to continuing my Vij's journey and trying the rest of his restaurants!