A Friendly Reminder That the Rooftop Patio at Vij’s Slaps

Do we talk about patios too much here at Vancouver magazine? Maybe. But I took an oath when I started this job that I would stand for all that is Fun in this city, and it is a scientific fact that patios are where the good times roll. So if reading more stories about great patios in Vancouver isn’t of interest to you, I suggest you take your eyeballs over to a different website (eg: boring.com) and leave us alone to drink and feast in the sun, please.

Assuming we’re among patio-loving friends now: why are we not all clambering over each other to get to Vij’s? The award-winning Indian restaurant has one of the city’s rare rooftop patios, and owner/chef Vikram Vij has decked the outdoor space out with so much greenery that you can almost forget South Cambie is whirring away below. (There are grapes growing up there! Grapes!)

In the summer, it’s shady and lush; in the cooler months, it’s heated and covered while still technically being outside. Overall, a perfectly pleasant place to stop for a happy hour (especially if you’re keen to try the cocktails made with Vij’s recently launched line of gin, a collab with Mad Lab)… but please, stay for dinner. Because this is a magazine obsessed with patios, but it’s also a magazine obsessed with delicious things.

All of which is to say: you need to know that the ghee-sauteed prawns in coconut and gunpowder masala curry ($20) are eat-the-sauce-with-a-spoon good. If seafood isn’t your thing, though, there’s the chicken schnitzel with butter chicken sauce (‘Vikram’s Favourite Snack,’ an ode to the celebrity chef’s early days earning his stripes in Austrian kitchens, $21), or a stacked tiffin of flavourful curries (dhaal makhani, cauliflower potato fenugreek, $28) spooned over fluffy rice or scooped up with pillowy naan. And whatever the weather, the rose syrup ice cream ($14) is a must to finish things up.

Yes, of course the offerings here would still be stellar even when enjoyed indoors, but in the humble opinion of this magazine, there’s something special about a drink or a dish enjoyed en plein air. And here, on a hot day, it’s easy to pretend you’re feasting in some sort of secret Indian garden; on a not so sunny one, these are dishes that’ll warm you up from the inside out. If that’s not patio perfection, what is?