Vikas Sharma

So, I know that a lot of people get excited about Vij’s. I had the chance to eat there about 10 years ago with some colleagues and friends, and it was nice. Really nice.

Great service, which was amped up (think free tapas while you waited for your table at the bar) because everyone had to wait to get in for a meal at their old South Granville location (Rangoli). Also, I did visit My Shanti, his White Rock outpost a few years back.

I’m Indian – so, I love authentic Indian food.

Call my a hypocrite, but go ahead and “fusion” all you want with other foods, just leave mine alone.

That was until I went to a place called Biryani house in Toronto about 20 years ago. The chef’s name is Debu Saha, and he’s known for opening restaurants, closing them, travelling to learn new techniques, and then returning to Toronto and opening up new Indian joints. Every time, he tries new stuff and it works out well. He’s one of the best Indian chefs, in my opinion. He’ll add an ingredient that you’re just not so sure about, like an apricot, but then it works. His last place, Spice Indian Bistro, was more traditional, and I’m sad I missed out on it – as it closed – and I had no idea it was Debu’s place.

What does this have to do with Vij? Well, I guess I see him in the same light. He does a good job making non-traditional Indian food that tastes, well … traditional.

Sara booked Vij’s for us just after New Year’s Day … and she might have been a bit more excited than I was.

I hadn’t seen the “new” location, so I was quite impressed with the exterior with deep, rich tones and metal cladding. But, nothing else mattered when you walk inside and you smell the mouth-watering spices.

They had some appetizers that were a bit “cool for school,” like “Jackfruit in black cardamom and cumin curry” … but Sara went for the traditional Indian appetizers; Samosa and Pakora. What can I say? They were pretty spot on. The pastry on the samosas was bubbled just right … and reminded me of the samosa pastry that I had as a kid when I went out with my family to Gerrard Street. The one thing that I wasn’t a fan of, was the samosa had a mashed potato with cumin centre. Nothing reminds me of Indian street food like the cubed aloo (potato) and mattar (peas) (ala Moti Mahal) … so, while I prefer it the way I like, Vij’s was fine – albeit heavy (we shared one). The chutney was blueberry, which was pretty cool. The pakoras were my favourite kind: Cauliflower, spinach and potato. Perfectly well done and crispy and served with tamarind chutney. Now, I usually like some mirchi ki chutney (spicy green) with the pakoras – but I didn’t complain, nor ask for any.

On to the mains.

I was quite happy that they offered thalis (sectioned trays to try multiple different curries) – and that you could choose from the appetizer and main courses for your curry – but, I don’t understand why there are two mushroom dishes and two eggplant dishes. It really limited my options as someone who prefers veg, and I wasn’t exactly pining for jackfruit … and let’s be clear, there were two jackfruit options on the menu.

The server was helpful and recommending her favourites of those choices, and we were off to the races.

From what I remember, we ordered Chana (chick peas) on grilled kale, Eggplant in yogurt and tomato curry with onion rings, Portobello mushroom and red bell pepper curry on paneer with beets, Sauteed eggplant and bell peppers on fenugreek potatoes and cream curry, and I think a couple of other choices, as each thali came with four choices. Even though I’m not a fan of mushrooms in curry, I felt as if they did a great job.

Everything tasted great … well spiced … well cooked … well presented.

The naan was spot on. Service was quite good. The place was clean. It was comfortable with a warm atmosphere.

Return: No need. I’ve been to three Vij’s restaurants and they’re good!

Rating: 8/10