Nirvana Indian Restaurant: behind the scenes of the family-run Vancouver staple
Dished recently had the chance to visit a long-standing Vancouver staple: Nirvana Indian Restaurant.
The restaurant, which has been around for over 40 years, moved locations after a fire closed its original spot at 2313 Main Street.
Now relocated at 6482 Victoria Drive, we went in to check out the new space, try the food, and chat with co-owner Govind Bedi.
How it all started
Govind owns Nirvana alongside her husband, Ravi Bedi. Ravi immigrated to Canada, leaving his home of Punjab, India, and got his first job as a cook at Nirvana Indian Restaurant in 1986, the same restaurant he would later become the owner of in 2018.
After that first job, the duo ran a pizza place for 22 years before retiring for eight years. But their son urged them to get back into the working world again.
“We were looking for a business, and my husband always wanted to open up an Indian restaurant,” said Govind.
Nirvana was on sale, and since the two had already worked there, they phoned, talked to the owner, and ended up buying the restaurant. As of September 15, 2018, the duo took over the space.
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The fire
Then, disaster struck. A fire broke out and caused significant damage, forcing the spot to close. Eventually, the restaurant had to find a new home, and it set up shop at its current Victoria Drive location.
“It had been a really good first few months, but it was also hard because people didn’t know that we had moved,” said Govind.
Eventually, after putting up posters at the old location and through word of mouth, Govind said a lot more people started coming to eat at Nirvana again.
“They think it’s the best homemade food,” she said. “It feels like mama’s cooking.”
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Working with family
At the heart of Nirvana is family. This is present not only in the homestyle food but also in the whole family pitching in to help run the restaurant. During our visit, we met everyone from the dynamic duo Ravi and Govind to their daughter-in-law Pavan, and they were all some of the nicest people we had ever met.
“My husband and I have been together for 39 years, and we have always worked together and loved it,” said Govind with a smile.
Whether it’s food or the space itself, each family member had some part in creating this new space. When you visit, if you catch Pavan, be sure to ask her about the bathroom remodel. There are no spoilers here; you’ll have to go in yourself.
The food
Govind prepared us with a wide variety of dishes to try during our visit. One of these, which she said was one of her favourites, was the Malai Kofta.
This dish is made with veggie spheres consisting of nuts and raisins in a creamy gravy. “I make the balls and my husband is the one who makes the sauce,” added Ravi.
Marco Ovies
Something we noticed while eating our meal was how light everything felt. Instead of the heavy feeling you sometimes get after demolishing a plate of butter chicken, we actually felt good. That’s one of the things that Ravi said makes Nirvana’s food so special — it tastes just like you’d get at home.
“We make everything from scratch; nothing is frozen or anything like that,” she said.
On the topic of butter chicken, this dish is not to be missed. It has everything you would want, including the perfectly creamy tomato sauce and a nice amount of tandoori chicken. Be sure to order a side of garlic and basil naan for the perfect sauce delivery vessel.
Marco Ovies/Daily Hive
“We work hard to make everything nice and fresh every day,” said Govind. “We put 100% in our food.”
You simply have to taste the food to understand what Govind means. From the bhartha (mashed eggplant cooked with onion, tomato, and traditional spices) to shrimp pakora (shrimp battered and deep fried served with sweet chili sauce) and its lamb vindaloo (lamb cooked in spicy, tangy curry and potatoes), we doubt you’ll find something you won’t enjoy on the menu.
Nirvana Indian Restaurant
Address: 6482 Victoria Drive, Vancouver