Tonight was the first La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Vancouver chapter dinner of 2024. Held at Vikram Vij’s name sake restaurant on Cambie street. The restaurant’s design is modelled after a lantern with cut out patterns and a glow that shines inside and out.
Vikram himself is a member of La Chaine’s Vancouver chapter and was happy to be able to host the full congregation in attendance tonight. He would not be dining with members, but introduced courses, spoke to his house wine program, and bantered with guests.
Vij’s has been Michelin acknowledged, and the celebrity chef thanked for his 30 years of being a restauranteur and helping to transform the Vancouver food scene. Vikram described his cuisine as being very authentic and true to traditional Indian cuisine, but done with French with presentation in mind. Mainly, not everything is cooked within the sauces.
Tonight our private 5 course meal was hosted on their covered roof top, on the first day of spring. An open Terrance with its own bar, fully seated across 3 long tables. The sun was out and the weather felt like early summer; and as the sun began the set the over head heaters kept the whole patio warm. And there were fleece blankets for those who needed more heat.
The centre piece to the courtyard was especially magical. As light caught the stain glass lanterns they danced. And the live foliage felt festive dawning bangles and Vietnamese style pointed hats.
The La Chaîne traditional Champagne reception began with glasses of Bottega Prosecco. A very approachable sparkling wine that tickles the tongue and the appetite with a gentle fizz.
And as guests filtered in and began to mingle we were offered the reception canapé. Vegetable Pakoras with Date Chutney, which served as a great foreshadowing of things to come. Traditional Indian cuisine elevated with North American presentation, as Vikram promised. These were tasty deep fried bundles that weren’t greasy. Crispy with vegetable, and sweetened with a smear of the date chutney. I have had similar pakoras before, but never with such a unique chutney. I just wished there was more of it to dip into, as it offered flavour and interest to each deep fried cluster.
When time, guests were asked to take a seat and our sit down dinner service soon began. We would get a top up of the sparkling above, more in glass to pair with our second course. Its effervescent citrus notes helped to lighten all the punchy flavours below.
The second listed course was a Potato and Red Bell Pepper Samosa on Coconut Curry, prepared family style, but plated individually. This ate like a snack made into a main with the side of rice. A completely vegetarian dish that didn’t have you missing meat, although the rice did feel out of place, and served only as a filler. The samosa itself was the star, fresh from the oven it was still steaming at its core, and superbly crispy. The doughy shell was my favourite part, stuffed full with soften potato. I didn’t get much of the would be sweet red bell pepper flavour, but the sauce had plenty of zip to go around. I scraped the plate clean with this one.
Our next two courses were paired with Vikram Vij’s very own house wine. A blend of white and red he helped to curate to specifically pair with his food; originally blended when identifying it is hard to find wine to pair with Indian cuisine.
Vikram gave an introduction to his Mala Blend Freedom Peacock, made from grapes grown by the Bartier Brothers in the Okanagan. He jovially explained the entirety of the name. “Freedom” signifies India getting its independence. “Mala” means all inclusive. And Vikram described himself as a peacock, in that he is very flashy as well. By itself the wine was high on the acidic side and not one I enjoyed swirling around in my mouth as is. However, it did do as it was intended, pairing nicely with our third course.
Each plate arrived at our table so fragrant with scents and sights I have yet to experience in Indian cuisine. And this is what Vij’s is known for. This isn’t the restaurant for butter chicken or chicken tikka masala, in fact they have neither on the menu. Vikram himself boasts that Indian cuisine is much more than either of those cliches, and he definitely showcased that through the following courses.
Chicken in creamy Bengali-style Curry with Spiced New Potatoes and Sprouted Lentil Salad. The lot of it ate like a stew of punchy spices that give you varied bites, a fragrant mix that had us full with the lentils intermingled. I am typically not a fan of lentils due to their gritty texture, but mixed in with shredded chicken and the runny curry over rice, it was nice. And the acidity of the house white wine helped to cleanse the palate and dull some of the heated spices.
But the highlight was the freshly charred and fluffy naan. It was so smokey and chewy, the perfect base to any of the stews and sauces tonight.
Course four was paired with Vij’s house red Lantern Blend. A full bodied wine that was juicy with tannis and had plenty of high acidity once again. Made at Kismet winery this is a blend of syrrah for sweetness, merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a hint of cab franc. The name reflects the building we were seated in, as mentioned above: this is the lantern for how it is lit inside, out.
As our next course came to the table, Vikram regaled us with the story of how he was the first to do “Lamb Popsicles” in the city, and Rob Fennie promptly added it to his Cactus Club menus. However, only Vij’s take has endured and we were able to enjoy the original version tonight.
Wine-marinated Lamb Popsicles in Fenugreek Cream Curry on
Turmeric and Spinach Potatoes, we were encouraged to eat this with our hands. This is Vij’s answer to butter chicken. Bringing the combination of meat, cream, and potatoes in an unexpected way. The charbroiled flavour of the lamb was nice. Set atop, you dictated how much sauce you wanted on it; which was nice considering that the curry was very pungent. Not spicy, just bold and consuming, masking the natural flavour of everything touching it. Everything else on the plate seemed to help wash it out, the fenugreek and potato soaking up excess flavour; and the option of basmati rice and naan to further buffer.
Our last course was dessert, served with an optional metal mug of chai. Once again, not the ginger heavy chai many are familiar with, but Vij’s own milder blend with fennel and cardamon instead. This was a lighter brew that paired with our dessert much like tea leaves steeped in hot water would. I drank the full cup and had no trouble sleeping a few hours after. Although I would have still liked it heavy with ginger so that it acts as a digestif.
Our dessert was not the typical Gulab jamun, as you almost half expect it to be, with Indian cuisine. Instead, it was Rice Pudding with Coconut. A lovely sweet coconut cream porridge. However, at this point we were so full and so heavy with carbs that I wished we got some ice cream or jelly instead. Something a lot lighter and more elegant to end on.
Our night concluded with our organization showing thanks to the female chefs that ran Vij’s kitchen, many of which employed for a decade or two, and the longest being 28 years.
Everyone agreed that this was a lovely night and a wonderful way to try something different, with the celebrity chef himself in attendance.
Vij’s
3106 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2W2
(604) 736-6664
vijs.ca
