Over three years ago, Scout broke the news that Vikram Vij (interview) and his wife Meeru Dhalwala would be opening a new Vij’s restaurant at Cambie and 15th Avenue. Alas, that restaurant has yet to materialise, and news on its progress has been as difficult to get as a table at the world renowned original Indian restaurant in South Granville. This morning however, the following release was sent out:

Award-winning Vancouver-based chef Vikram Vij and his wife Meeru Dhalwala are pleased to announce that construction will begin on their new restaurant location at Cambie and 15th in Vancouver, on June 1st 2013. The restaurant will open within 12 months of work starting.

“I’m delighted to be able to make this announcement; it’s been a long time coming!” says Vij. “The people living near to our new restaurant have been so supportive and patient as we waited for planning processes to be completed. It will be a really big part of this community.”

While plans are still being finalised, the establishment itself will become an iconic landmark and a destination restaurant. Bricault Designs (who designed the interior of Vij’s Rangoli and the Vij’s At Home frozen food bags) will make the bar and dining area modern and welcoming.

What will happen to the current Vij’s restaurant on West 11th and Granville? | Right now, Vij’s will continue to operate normally. When the new restaurant on Cambie opens, the current Vij’s location will close, but it will stay in the Vij’s family and will become a new entity at a later date. And no, we don’t know exactly what that will be right now!

Will the new restaurant be bigger than the current location? | Yes – Vij’s near Granville currently seats 65 people at a time. The new restaurant will seat 80+ and at the new location, you will walk straight into the bar area, rather than walking through the restaurant to the bar and waiting area.

With more tables, will you have a bigger kitchen and more staff? | Our new kitchen will be more than double the size of our current kitchen and will have lots more storage and prep space. At this point though we are not hiring more people and we’re not accepting resumes – we’re still a long way from opening. When we get to that stage, we will let everyone know.

Why has it taken so long to get to this point with the new restaurant? | Simply put, the planning processes have taken a lot longer than anticipated. We are so grateful to the community around the new location for their patience as our building remained undeveloped for so long. We promise that we are going to give you a beautiful addition to your neighbourhood and we hope you will all visit us often!

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