Often cited as the best Indian restaurant in North America and with good reason. Restaurant is notorious for its no-reservation policy and can sometimes wait for two hours, but worth the wait.
Intimate lounge area in the back and nice simple patio out front for waiting/drinking area. Servers come out every 10 minutes or so with snacks to much on -- poppichat, crisp fries spiced with masala, chickpea and potato pakoras. A pretty casual restaurant. Dining room is not spectacular at all. Walls bare. Could walk in with shorts and flip-flops and no one would bat an eye.
For appetizer had BC spot prawns in a coconut-based curry sauce. Then for mains, famous lamb "popsicles," beef tenderloin and pork tenderloin. Lamb was my favourite -- very tender, and curry was sweet and savoury. Beef and pork also very good but pork a little dry. For dessert, garum goola in a sweet warm cardamom sauce; and a rice pudding. Both excellent and refreshing. Everything tasted super fresh and full of love. All-female kitchen and serving staff. (Sorry for my lack of descriptors on the dishes. Unfortunately, my Indian spice palette vocabulary is not knowledgeable enough for a proper review.)
While everything was great, I can tell why an Indian friend said food is good but to her, it's just dressed up home-cooked Indian food. It's kind of true because if you know someone who does Indian food really, really well, you won't think Vij's is that out of this world. But it's still very good, and worth trying if you are into food and like to indulge yourself once in awhile.
Rating (out of five stars): ***
1 comment:
i felt that way about vij's. it was good, no complaints, but honestly, my family's cooking is just as good if not better. still, that's what you want in a good resto that is trying to pay homage to a culture's cuisine, right? as good as back home!
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