orget French, the new romantic cuisine is Indian. Be the first to ride the trend wave all the way east. Vij’s may be the most ambitious Indian restaurant ever to open in the Vancouver area. The whole package is as slick and shiny as a toy from India (trust me, that's shiny (also, slick)). A cheery little space, Vij's puts a smile on your face the minute that you walk in the door. So, get in line and wait.

The wood-paneled wall behind the lounge holds an impatient herd awaiting their turn at a table (Vij’s doesn’t take reservations). Past that, the dining room has a few die-cut lanterns and glowing elephants to brighten up the space.

The selection of home-cooked regional faves is huge, all made by employees who have each logged more than a decade in the kitchen. Try the rack of lamb, full of gorgeously chewy meat on the bone, all of it soaking up a rich, fenugreek cream curry. A slightly curried vegetable rice pilaf with cilantro cream sauce is a grand Goan-style take on the dish, showcasing extraordinary local ingredients; the coconut curried chicken and saffron rice is the perfect dish to split with a friend over chilled beers while you deconstruct office politics.

My favourite plate is the marinated pork medallions, which arrives with garlic yogurt curry and flatbread; baked in the terrifically hot heat of a clay-lined tandoor oven, it is light, toasty, and expansive. It's incredibly delicious stuff—salty, tender, crisp—and the bright parsley sauce that finishes the medallions only serves to accent how fine pork is when it's done well. In the dal makhani, black lentils are suspended in a brown lentil broth of such smoky intensity that you need to close your eyes when you taste it. This is what Indian cooking is supposed to be. - R.L.