The news broke just a month ago via social media.
Hokuto Japanese Cuisine, a well-known sushi and Japanese food restaurant across the street from the Trade and Convention Centre, was closing for good.
Hokuto's Facebook post, from Dec. 1, cited the health and "hand condition" of the "big boss." A lot of people understood. Responses poured in from the faithful.
But it wasn't all bad news. The post suggested Hokuto might rise again under another name and in another spot.
We shall see.
What is certain, however, is that the Hokuto space, at Suite 101 of 786 Westminster Ave. West, on the southeast corner of Power Street and Westminster, wouldn’t stay empty long. New tenants were moving in and they too wanted to open a restaurant.
And now they’ve done just that.
On Saturday Dec. 30, co-owners Gunasekaran Rajaram and Kamesh Lakhshmanan, two friendly, soft-spoken guys from southern India who didn't even know each other when they came to Canada in the late 2010s but have since become best buds, debuted "Dosa Vilas" to Penticton.
It was a soft opening. The new signage wasn't even up. The new website hadn’t even launched. And there were plenty of other bits and pieces to sort out.
But open they did. And then two days later, on Jan. 1, PentictonNow dropped by to see what it's all about.
We came away with some pretty good memories.
Dosa Vilas is all about South Indian food. And primarily the "dosa," the rather famous savoury crepe made from a naturally fermented batter of lentils and rice.
"He's from Kelowna, I'm from Penticton," said Rajaram of his friend and business partner. "We’re both originally from the same part of southern India but I've been here for the last five years and he's been here seven.
"I came as a cook to work in Denny's. I trained other cooks. And now I'm here."
Lakshmanan, in contrast, has worked as a cook at a camp near Fort McMurray and then in Kelowna, the latter stint at a restaurant very similar to Dosa Vilas.
"There are restaurants like this in Kelowna," said Rajaram. "They're owned by other people, but it’s the same style, the same food.
"But this is the first time in Penticton for food like this. We're quite unique.
Rajaram detailed their specialty, the dosa.
"We make the batter here and stuff it with things like vegetables, potatoes and meat," he said. "The filling is up to you. But all the crepes are gluten free and vegan."
They're good too, at least in our opinion. We sampled one and found it light and fresh and downright delectable. And with the numerous fillings and sauces that also shared the plate, all of them made in-house like most of Dosa Vilas' menu items, it was interesting to the last bite.
It wasn't crazy expensive, either. Our dosa was under 12 bucks.
We didn’t try anything else, though we watched Lakshmanan pull a basket of chicken pieces from the fryer that looked pretty darned tempting.
"What you saw there was deep fried chicken," said Rajaram. "It's one of our Indo-Chinese dishes. Indian flavours and Chinese style. Fusion."
Also on the menu are soups and curries and noodle dishes, a super-healthy rice pudding that’s apparently quite famous in Southern India called "Idly," and a selection of appetizers and desserts.
Dosa Vilas is not yet licensed but it will be within a month or two. Expect stuff like beers, wines and even hard liquor.
As for delivery, it's Skip the Dishes only 'til the owners, both of whom share the cooking duties, settle in. That’s likely a couple of months, when the restaurant hopes to do its own deliveries.
And that left us with but one question. Were the new owners concerned about Penticton's North Gateway plan?
The ongoing initiative aims to improve and densify the northwest quadrant of the city and particularly the area around the Trade and Convention Centre. And that often spells the end of older, less efficient structures like the one in which Dosa Vilas has set up shop.
"I am concerned," said Rajaram. "But I'm not really worried. We've signed a lease for five years."
Currently, Dosa Vilas is open five days a week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays being the only exceptions) from 11 am to 8 pm. They might add an extra hour in the evening as the tourist season approaches.
For more info, head to the restaurant at Suite 101 of 786 Westminster Ave. West, or call it at 1-250-492-6610. The website, here, is not yet active.
"We want to welcome all people," said Rajaram. "We serve good food at an affordable price. We hope people will get to know us."
