Vij's

[Andy Lynes]

I’m only partially joking when I say that it was missing out on dinner at Vij’s during my first visit to Vancouver that brought me back a second time. In reality, nobody is going to arrange a family holiday that costs thousands of pounds sterling and involves a 12 hour flight via Calgary simply to eat in one particular restaurant are they? And if they did, they’re not about to admit it on a very public forum like eGullet.org. Whatever the truth, the facts are that at 2.30pm on 23 June 2005, I landed on Canadian soil, I was in my hotel room by 4.00pm, and sat at a table in Vij’s, nibbling snacks and sipping a Storm Brewing Pilsner by 5.45pm.

Vij’s food is a seductive blend of traditional Indian and classical French cooking that deftly transforms the familiar – curry, kebob, pilaff - into something surprising. “Curry Art” is the claim, modestly made in small type on the back of the menu, and it’s a true and accurate one. If art allows us to see life in a new way, then a meal at Vij’s forces a reassessment of what Indian food is and can be. It’s not about pictures on a plate, or competing with the accepted idea of European haute cuisine. It’s not artistic in that sense. There is no arch seriousness involved with dining at Vij’s, but there is a unique vision at work that raises the experience way above the norm.

You could say that it’s unusual to find the likes of quail, striped bass, halibut, venison and duck on the menu of an Indian restaurant. But then Vij’s shouldn’t really be assessed in those terms. The ethnicity of the cuisine is a red herring. Its far more interesting that candied walnuts bring a sweet crunch to a bouillabaisse style dish of halibut, mussels and baby carrots in tomato and light cream curry, or that there is something deeply addictive about the spicing of the striped bass with curry leaves and sour cream curry.

I simply don’t know enough about Indian cooking to talk with authority about why the masala curry served with traditional mutton kebobs is quite so delicious. But I do know that in their complexity and depth, the sauces at Vij’s are worthy of comparison to the finest veal jus or sauce hollandaise. Are they as technically demanding to make? I really have no idea, and that question is I believe somewhat beside the point. It’s their effect on the palate that is the important thing and that is unquestionably profound.

Vij is the consummate host because he cares. He runs the show with vigour, passion and a sixth sense that allows him to keep an eye on everything at once. There is an energy that radiates from him and gravitates to him that infects the whole room. Dining at Vij’s is simply a joy and an experience I hope to repeat soon.

[Andy Lynes]

I started a new thread on Vij's, not because I wanted poll position, but simply because I couldn't find one dedicated to the restaurant which just seems plain wrong to me. If anyone is aware of an existing thread, this can always be merged with it.

[stovetop]

Vij's is a restaurant master and he influences all cooking styles in Vancouver. He excels in every aspect of the dinning experience and pushes all restaurateurs to be honest in their culinary pursuits. There are a handful of food leaders in Vancouver and Vij's is one of them.

I look forward Andy to reading about your culinary experiences in The Canadian West Coast.

PS- I think that Ethnic Influences in Vancouver have gone beyond the traditional ethnic influences of the cultural diets of any one country. So I would say that a real Vancouver Cuisine is emerging from the experiences and influence of all foodies- chefs- restaurateurs in the city. It is after all about raw product; then the cultural influence of the root culture then add the multitude of other influences that are uniquely Vancouver.

That is just my opinion

steve

[Badiane]

Vij's is a restaurant master and he influences all cooking styles in Vancouver. He excels in every aspect of the dinning experience and pushes all restaurateurs to be honest in their culinary pursuits. There are a handful of food leaders in Vancouver and Vij's is one of them.

←

Really? You think? Wow...I feel ripped off...we went and hey, it was okay, but it wasn't all that wonderful. He's an amazingly skilled host, but from a food standpoint, well, it really wasn't anything I would care to stand in line for a second time. Guess I will have to bite the bullet and give it another shot, maybe I missed something the first time.

[kontemporary]

Andy, I'm interested in hearing how Vij's compares with many Indian restaurants popular in Britain, as curry is quite probably one of the most popular and enjoyed dishes over there since the influx of South Indian/Pakistani immigrants.

[Ducky]

I would like to second the question from Badiane.

We have been there twice and it was very nice - but each time we left feeling that we were not sure what the fuss was all about. Surely we will never spend an hour in the line up again.

I would be very interested in hearing from people who repeatedly subject themselves to this line up. What is it exactly that we are missing? Does a singing and dancing Jesus appear at some point? Illicit sex? Illicit drugs?

Do tell!

[kurtisk]

What is it exactly that we are missing?  Does a singing and dancing Jesus appear at some point?  Illicit sex? Illicit drugs?

Do tell!

←

Well, it wouldn't be a dancing Jesus in an Indian restaurant, now would it? However, the Ganesh that glides in on a cable with pyrotechnics exploding beyond is a cool touch.

I can see where you're coming from on this, but a lot of dining in the city has already been influenced by Vikram, which might make the place seem a bit 'par' nowadays. Notwithstanding, for us it's always top notch in every single aspect, decor, service, glassware, flatware, flavours, portions, what have you. The guy simply knows what he's doing and is happy to share it, which makes us all fortunate. I find Vij's unique and solid.

This, also, has nothing to do with the fact that I know he reads this thing and I embarassed the hell out of myself by doing an extremely 'jiggy' dance which he happened to witness at Bin 942 the other night...

xo,

k

[appreciator]

Okay... I've eaten at Vij's exactly once so this is purely based on that fact, and also that the experience was a couple of years ago, so things may well have changed since then.

However..... here goes:

The atmosphere was great... we got there early to assure a table. Appetizers rocked though I can't tell you exactly what I had. Service was top notch..... Vikram is a consummate host.

However, what sticks out in my mind to this day, is the amount of sliced ginger on my entree. Can't recall what it was but it was topped by many, many, many slices of fresh ginger. Simply covered the underlying course. While I am a ginger fan.... it was just too much. I recall that Vikram came around and asked me if I did not like ginger and I said that I did but just not that much. Not sure if things have changed since then or not.

I have friends who swear by the place and eat there whenever they come into town.

Personally, I enjoyed a recent meal at Tamarind Bistro more, however, there will always be different strokes for different folks and all that.

[Andy Lynes]

Andy, I'm interested in hearing how Vij's compares with many Indian restaurants popular in Britain

←

There is no comparison really. The average high street Indian restaurant will have a long menu of chicken, lamb and prawn dishes tailored to the British palatte. Sweet and mild tikka masalas for the ladies, burning hot vindaloos for the largered up lads. The quality of raw ingredients will usually be unremarkable, desserts will be bought in and service will be indifferent at best. The cliche is that Indian restaurants only get busy after the pubs shut and large groups are looking for somewhere cheap to fill up on carbs and carry on drinking. In my experience, that is true.

There has been a move over the last 5 years or so for these places to smarten up and modernise their image - get rid of the characteristic red flock wall paper and memories-of-the-Raj-decor - but in many cases the food has not changed and neither has the clientele.

I am of course excluding high end London Indian restaurants such as Tamarind, The Cinnimon Club, Benares and Zaika which have successfully offered refined and inventive versions of Indian regional cuisine to the gourmet crowd.

In terms of innovation and quality of food and service, I would say that Vineet Bhatia is Vij's closest equivilent in London, but even then there are big differences. Bhatia serves a multi-course tasting menu with dramtic presentations and things like savoury ice creams and is going head to head with the top European style chefs in the city, whereas Vij's style is far more casual.

[Sam Salmon]

Wow...I feel ripped off...we went and hey, it was okay, but it wasn't all that wonderful.  He's an amazingly skilled host, but from a food standpoint, well, it really wasn't anything I would care to stand in line for a second time. 

←

While I've never felt quite as bad the food I've eaten there over the years was fair to good without being outstanding.

Underwhelming comes to mind.

I know Punjabi home cooking and Vij's is an approximation that no more.

The whole 'warm schmoozy host with watery chai in hand' shtick has been done many ways by many people and adds little to the overall experience IMO.

Influencing the Vancouver scene?

That's laughable and shows how many people in this town can't wait to line up and drink each other's used bathwater.

[Andy Lynes]

I know Punjabi home cooking and Vij's is an approximation that no more.

←

I'm not fortunate enough to have experienced Punjabi home cooking. Can you explain in what ways the food at Vij's approximates it? An example of a specific dish usually prepared at home and how the same or similar dish that you have eaten at Vij's was prepared would really help me to understand your point.

[Chocoholic]

I am a bit surprised by the responses so far on this thread, they seem to be on the negative side. Last night as we walked down Granville we noticed the crowd outside Vij's, both on the way up to a dinner at Ouisi and coming back a couple of hour later. We then decided to get a babysitter some time next week and brave the lineup to eat Vij's food again. My big problem is the lineup, spending an hour milling around waiting for a table isn't my favorite thing to do, especially when the babysitter's hourly wage makes my wallet very small and afraid.

I'll report back once we have eaten there, the last time was at least two years ago.

[Andy Lynes]

Can't recall what it was but it was topped by many, many, many slices of fresh ginger....  Not sure if things have changed since then or not.

←

No sliced ginger on the night I ate, or on the two occasions I dined at Rangoli.

[Sam Salmon]

An example of a specific dish usually prepared at home and how the same or similar dish that you have eaten at Vij's was prepared would really help me to understand your point.

←

The first item that comes to mind is the Cilantro chutney.

Vij's is smooth, tasty and a wonderful accompaniment to almost everything he serves.

What it lacks is the piquant immediacy, rough cut texture and almost startling freshness common found in the same dish in Punjabi home kitchens.

Of course we could say the same about Mexican or Chinese restaurants-restaurant food is generally produced on a large scale not necessarily by hand and that's life in the real world.

However to gush and coo over plain dishes that 1,000's and 1,000's of people here eat daily as though it were a revelation is IMO somewhat shallow-there is no startling innovation in Vij's cookery at all.

I could go on and on but the workaday world calls.........

[Jeffy Boy]

Suggestion for those who don't want to line up - show up at 5:25pm and you'll likely have a table when they open at 5:30pm. Then you can watch the jaws drop on people rolling up at 6:00pm when they're told they'll have to wait. I take sick pleasure in it. Especially when it's an overly hip large group who probably won't appreciate the food anyhow...

Vij's is in a sweet situation - demand means they don't need to take reservations, and as a result they're full starting at 5:30pm.

As for the food, when I go I'm not looking for something authentic. I find the food inventive, exciting and exotic, and the whole experience quite pleasurable.

[Andy Lynes]

However to gush and coo over plain dishes that 1,000's and 1,000's of people here eat daily as though it were a revelation is IMO somewhat shallow

←

Great cooking is always revelatory.

[jamiemaw]

Found in Translation

Here‘s a list of the items that I think may have separated Vikram Vij from our earlier notion of South Asian cuisine:

1. Fresh, evolved, distinctively flavoured cooking—what we call clean-- and a willingness to experiment endlessly with new approaches to old recipes, especially when incorporating local ingredients such as halibut, mussels, venison, quail and short ribs;

2. Flavours that do not collude, i.e that do not run to ‘mud’ after three courses;

3. Accessible, informed presentation with lots of explanation/translation;

4. Access—When he moved from West Broadway to West 11th he intuitively understood that Vancouver’s dining landscape was changing quickly: becoming increasingly casual, spontaneous, drop-in, and small-plates driven. He was at the forefront of it; he also established one of the first South Asian restaurant websites;

5. A West Side location;

6. A short menu that changes frequently but that always contains touchpoint items such as branded items like 'lamb posicles';

8. A wine list that is microscopic (low inventory charge) but accurately underwites and understands the food;

9. Ditto the beer.

10. Design and décor that is intimate and even cosseting, that you have one foot in his home;

11. An egalitarian seating system (princes, politicos and World-Renowned International Food and Wine Journalists from Brighton, England wait in line just like regular schmoes such as me);

12. Comfortable waiting places indoors and out;

13. Open feedback—he is as closely touch with his customers as any owner/host in town;

14. An intuitive sense for cheerful promotion;

15. Personal colour;

16. Reinvention: A Never Rest On Your Laurels approach;

17. A cool factor (discovery + empowerment = entitlement) that forced the tipping point of acceptance;

18. Rangoli—the diffusion line; and

19. A sensibility of giving back to the community and consulting with his peer group, sine timore aut favore.

While none of these items on their own might have seemed revolutionary, in hindsight and in context I believe that they collaborated both to build a successful restaurant business and to influence and change our dining landscape.

You may choose for yourself whether that was a little or a lot.

Edited July 31, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Foodie in Vancouver]

The easiest way for me to describe why I like Vij's is to say that the flavours are separate and distinct. Each dish has its own taste points and aromas. The spices and combinations are unique for me and perhaps that is the appeal; I don't know how to cook with these flavours so it seems more interesting. The reason I prefer Vij's for Indian food is because, as Jamie put it, the flavours don't collude. When I eat Indian food elsewhere, I find that everything starts to taste the same after a few bites; that is my experience and probably not the same for everyone. And, again, speaking only for myself, to my tastes, the flavours at Vij's are fresh and vibrant. There seem to be lots of tastes happening in my mouth with much to exclaim about; but not so much that I can't parse out each flavour. Nothing tastes as if it came off a steam table or sat on the pass too long. And, I also like the fact that the restaurant is without pretension - dress up, dress down. No one needs to be seen - just enjoy. Is Vij's the best Indian restaurant in the city? Don't know, but I do know that every time I walk out after a meal I have a smile on my face, I feel like I got value for my money, my mouth is in a happy place and I feel as though I was treated with respect and authenticity. And, I make a note-to-self to come back more often. Why don't I? Simply the "line-up" outside factor. Which I need to get over. It is never that long and it is always worth it.

[canucklehead]

I think that it is easy to underestimate Vij's impact on the Vancouver food scene. He and Rob Feenie are very active in promoting Vancouver as a food centre. I was just thinking that while we poke and jab - Vancouver would very much be the poorer if they were not in town.

As for the food - I have always found the food to be very good. I don't not think that Vij's is trying to be purely 'authentic' - but take the Indian food to a different place - using local ingredients and applying different techniques. It is not dumbed down food. I find the flavors sparkle and the courses keep the pallate interested. If you go in thinking 'well - this isn't real indian food' then you are cheating yourselves of the real experience. It is the attitude that I had the first time I went - congratulating myself on being able to discern that this was not Indian home cooking - but I did not simply sit back and experience the food. I have many Indian friends who go and enjoy the food and experience - they don't sit there and pick apart the dishes.

I know that restaurant food is different from home cooking - and guess what? That's why we go to restaurants. I don't put down the food from Sun Sui Wah for not being like my mother's cooking - but enjoy it for what it is. And it is the same for Vij's - good food, well thought out, executed excellently, all served in the spirit of hospitality and generousity (and democratically - I mean EVERBODY waits in line). What more can one ask for?

[jamiemaw]

I think that it is easy to underestimate Vij's impact on the Vancouver food scene.  He and Rob Feenie are very active in promoting Vancouver as a food centre.  I was just thinking that while we poke and jab - Vancouver would very much be the poorer if they were not in town.

←

I agree. We frequently volunteer to host visiting food media. As a rule I trust their opinions. In addition to the usual suspect restaurants I've found that they are increasingly interested in our always expanding Asian cookery.

But if you had to pick just one restaurant that shows up the most often in the foreign press it would likely be Vij's--it almost always seems to resonate. In so doing, it attracts attention to the city and floats all the boats a little higher and, in that lovely self-perpetuating equation, the benefit to us is more dining opportunities.

Edited July 30, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[stovetop]

My observations are from the point of view as a chef not a customer, so I can not engage in regards to your feelings of the value of the meal. Although I can tell you if you did not find any value in the food or your dinning experience was lacking, what is your basis on which you are judging. How can anybody complain about price a point in Vancouver, the city is like one of the cheapest eating cities in Canada? Compared to the house prices and rents, the cost of eating out is very fare.

I also think you missed my point; ethnic food in Vancouver has evolved beyond stereotypes and is becoming its own self, when does culture become Canadian and when does multiculturalism become Canadian.

Vancouver has its own style and the people in the business come from all over the world, the kids have influenced each other, it is no longer white bread, ice burg lettuce and radishes.

I will say once again, that I am glad that Vij's is in Vancouver and I too agree if he was not there the restaurant and dinning scene would lack because of that void

steve

[Ducky]

Great analyses of the "why" of VJ's Jamie.

Still - that line-up kills it for us. And it seems most people we know feel the same way.

Perhaps a few more locations are in order. Perhaps a franchise.

[jamiemaw]

Great analyses of the "why" of VJ's Jamie.

Still - that line-up kills it for us. And it seems most people we know feel the same way. 

Perhaps a few more locations are in order.  Perhaps a franchise.

←

Thanks. The line-up has never bothered us particularly, especially if we aim for the cusps at 5:30 (rarely--because that's more like a late lunch), or just before 8pm when the crowd going to the Stanley empties out, or just after 9 when the first turn peels off. Otherwise I don't mind a half hour wait or so wait over a cleansing IPA and a chat. I do that in most restaurants anyway.

Thought I might add that we had an Indian nanny for 13 years. Sajni is an excellent cook and our house smelt like a Yellow Cab for the longest time:glorious. My daughters are addicts, and now that they're away at university, that little room on West 11th is usually their first stop on the way into town.

Jamie

Edited July 31, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[foie]

I'm sorry. I don't know where Sam Salmon is getting his Indian food in Vancouver but if it's better than Vij's I wish he'd tell the rest of us where it is.

I've been to India twice and spent a lot of time eating in overpriced Indian restaurants in London that I wouldn't even let stir Vij's curry. Add to that visits to countries like Fiji, Malaysia, and Singapore which all have sizeable Indian populations and I can tell you that Vij's is still the best Indian I've ever had. The only place I've ever been that beat him was in Zanzibar on the roof of a small hotel where they had imported a chef from one of the large chain hotels in Bombay and where the sound of the call to prayer from the local mosque mixed with the scent of spice from the island which is famous for it's local spices. Lets just say the local atmosphere had a slight edge over Vancouver.

Vikram is a gracious host who treats everyone the same whether they are a visiting celebrity or just a common man off the street. The only person I've ever heard who didn't have to wait for a table was Pierre Trudeau, not only one of our greatest Canadians but a man who truly enjoyed great food and probably had more to do with the diverse nature of food in this country than anyone else. If I could only go to three restaurants for the rest of my life, Vij's would be one of them in a heartbeat. Whenever I really wanted to impress a date I would take her to Vij's because it's elegant yet casual and warming. Lets just say his cooking has never let me down in that department. There is a reason why he wins the same awards every year and no one even comes close to touch him. Vikram is a stand up guy who has worked hard from a little hole in the wall on Broadway to where he is today. If there is a better Indian restaurant in town then please let the rest of us know.

[appreciator]

If there is a better Indian restaurant in town then please let the rest of us know.

←

We had quite the discussion about this awhile ago.... here's the link.