by Andrew Morrison | The opening of the new location of Vij’s Restaurant at Cambie St. and 15th Ave. is imminent at last. The first friends and family services got underway last week and will continue again this week. I took a look inside while one of these was going down and it looked like they were pretty much ready for prime time. Staff seemed fully schooled on food, drink, stations, and pacing, while diners were paying $10 a head to feast. But they were hardly guinea pigs. I don’t think owners Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala would let anyone through the door – let alone the horde of industry people I saw in attendance – unless they figured they had everything good to go. Doors open – in controlled dry-run mode – this week. The official opening is expected to be Sunday, Dec. 13th.

The sprawling new eatery replaces the South Granville original. It’s considerably larger with an 85 seat dining room (up from just 65), a 36 seat bar (with a cocktail program developed by Jay Jones), and a stunning 56 seat rooftop patio that comes complete with its own bar, a view of the city, and the hot purple glow of a neon elephant. The new kitchen is more than twice the size of the old set up, and with a lot more storage space. I did a walk-through with GM Mike Bernardo and found it gleaming, with a broad heated pass and a tandoor oven on the line. The smells, as you can likely well imagine, were positively dazzling.

To say I’m excited about this move would do a disservice to the word. While I’m happy to see they’re providing more shelter to those lining up for a table and positioning the new waiting area next to the entrance in the form of a well tended bar and lounge with geometric peekaboos into the kitchen, the arrival of the new Vij’s is about much more than just fenugreek-flavoured lamb popsicles and good cocktails. There are two vital things that I hope it will do for Vancouver’s dining scene that aren’t related to the plate and glass.

First, I’d like to think the new Vij’s might be an effective reminder to every young, would-be restaurateur that “cool” is still just an individual state of mind. It certainly isn’t an address. Nor is it branding. Indeed, securing a Gastown or Chinatown location and slapping a hipster-generated logo on it might guarantee legions of first-adopting Instagrammers up front and in the short run, but if the operation doesn’t lead with hospitality first, I mean…what’s the point? It shouldn’t matter that this stretch of Cambie is as far from Vancouver’s epicentre of hip as the original Vij’s was. Of course it doesn’t matter one bit, and I’m kinda thrilled at the prospect of watching it set an example in the same way it always has, by using the old school approach of serving inspired food and drink while leading customers to believe – without any doubts – that they were special and getting their money’s worth.

Second, I wonder if the patio might be an important development that will have far-reaching, positive consequences for the city. Rooftop patios, as everyone knows, are sublime pleasures, and I’ve gone on record many times decrying Vancouver’s lack of them, calling it (among other things) “an unfortunate symptom of the stifling, overly-protective Mommy-knows-best affliction that has bent Vancouver’s cultural spine since the day it was born.” NIMBYism is at fault, too. We saw this in 2008 when the city denied an application from the Opus Hotel to build a new restaurant and patio on its roof. Dozens of Yaletown residents showed up at the meeting to bitch at the prospect, presumably because they didn’t buy their condos in the heart of the city thinking that there would be noise of any kind.

Then “COPE Classic” city councillor David Cadman introduced the motion to reject the application, saying: “It really behooves us not to open this Pandora’s box and have all these applications coming in from all sorts of people saying, ‘Wow, I could have a rooftop restaurant on my building.’” At the time I may have over-appreciated how he referenced Greek mythology and used the word “behooves” in the same sentence, but I don’t think he did the city any favours that sad night at City Hall. If you feel that’s unfair, consider this: Vancouver has some 665 skyscrapers (and more on the way) but can boast fewer than five licensed establishments that are above the third floor, and that’s counting the heinously over-priced embarrassment that is the Top of Vancouver revolving restaurant ($28 for a half-assed Linguine Caponata? You bastards!). I mean, c’mon…it rains an average of 166 days of the year in Vancouver, so patios are already rarely enjoyed amenities. We need more of them – the higher, the better – and I hope this one opens the door to many, many more.

Anyway, Scout broke the news of the coming Vij’s move over five years ago. Back then, owner/chef Vikram Vij told me he wanted to have it open at some point in 2011, but delay followed delay, and we didn’t get another update until 2013, which stated that the opening had been pushed back to early summer 2014. It’s now been over a year and half since, but aside from a few people in the neighbourhood who have been beyond eager to have Vikram and Meeru open in their midst, the wringing of hands has been minor (as far as I know, the community hasn’t started putting plaintive purple lights in their windows). Good things come to those who agonize, and this is a great and good looking thing indeed. Marc Bricault‘s beautifully detailed design wasn’t quite finished when I popped my head in, but it was close.

In any event, it helps to remember that Vikram and Meeru bought the building back in 2007, so it’s hardly been a rush job from the get go. I suppose that has plenty to do with why they’re doing so many practice services before their official opening. “We’re tuning the kitchen,” Bernardo explained. “We’re going to do it right.” And why not? They know full well that – come opening day proper – the people will come, and for the right reasons. Take a closer look below…

Vij's Restaurant

Neighbourhood: West Side

3106 Cambie St.

604-736-6664

WEBSITE