North, like its namesake Golden Boy Bistro breathes new life into shuttered Blondie’s, brings new flavours and old favourites By: David Sanderson Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/03/2023 (894 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The first time Nikhil Thakkar set foot in Blondie’s Burgers was in 2018, not long after he and his wife Kiran moved to Winnipeg from their native India. Nikhil, a classically trained chef, had read about the iconic spot online, and couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into what was billed as some of the most gargantuan fare in town.

Nikhil dropped by Blondie’s again last January, after owner Sandy Doyle announced she was closing her iconic eatery, following a colourful, 32-year run. Except unlike scores of others who descended on Blondie’s for a final multi-pound cheeseburger or 32-ounce shake, he was there to see whether the soon-to-be-shuttered locale suited his and Kiran’s needs for a restaurant of their own.

Twelve months and seven coats of paint later, the latter to cover up an infamous list of dos and don’ts that had been handwritten on the walls in black marker, Nikhil and Kiran began welcoming customers to the freshly minted Golden Boy Bistro, at 1969 Main St., in late January.

“Since we opened, we’ve heard from a lot of people in the neighbourhood who are thrilled there’s a new place to go, that’s so close by,” Kiran says, seated next to her husband in the brightly lit, 30-seat resto, which like its predecessor, offers a variety of burgers and dogs, in addition to rotating house specialties.

“We’ve also had people who were simply curious to see what we’d done with the place,” Nikhil pipes in. “They poke their heads inside, saying they just want to have a look around, to which we say, ‘Of course. And if you’re hungry, here’s our menu.’”

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Like we mentioned, Nikhil and Kiran, who got married in 2006, arrived in what they jokingly call “Winterpeg, Mani-snow-ba” in September 2017. They had lived previously in densely populated cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and were hoping to start anew in a place that wasn’t as fast-paced. The more they learned about Winnipeg, the more it appealed to them.

“One of the first things we noticed after getting off the plane was how all the licence plates read ‘Friendly Manitoba,’ and we quickly discovered that was 100 per cent the case,” Kiran says.

Nikhil adds that one of the first people they met, a Service Canada worker who helped them fill out necessary paperwork, fit that description to a T. Before sending them on their way, she even made a point to tell the couple that, come winter, they should purchase mitts instead of gloves, to keep their fingers warmer. Nikhil, who was familiar with the song White Christmas, but wasn’t aware there could be such a thing as “White Easter,” calls that one of the best pieces of advice they ever received.

Nikhil and Kiran spent their first six months getting familiar with their surroundings, by walking as much as 20 kilometres a day, in any given direction from their downtown apartment. Nikhil started looking for work in February 2018. He had cooked at a number of five-star hotels in India after graduating from a three-year hospitality course, but he felt he’d be better served starting off slowly “in a new land,” which was the reason he accepted a front-of-the-house position at Applebee’s Grant Park location.

It turned out to be the perfect training ground, he says. By the following summer, he was confident enough in his abilities to begin operating a food truck on Broadway, having been inspired to do so by the Food Network Canada series, The Great Food Truck Race.

Feastro-Global Bistro, as the venture was called, served a mix of Mediterranean cuisine and Indian delicacies combined with good, ol’ North American-style fast food. Kiran, who works in the financial field, helped out whenever she could. Before too long, they had developed a strong following for their falafel, shawarma and chickpea curry, as well as their “supreme” french fries, which came topped with lettuce, tomato, beef chili and melted cheese.

Sales were so strong that they entered into negotiations to buy a second truck, which they intended to roll out in the spring of 2020. They even settled on a name for it, the Golden Boy Bistro, a tag they came up with one evening while they were seated on their balcony, watching the sun set behind the Legislature. Unfortunately, those plans were dashed, owing to the onset of COVID-19.

“What we realized during the early part of the pandemic was that restaurants were getting a lot of grants and support, but it didn’t seem to be that way for food truck owners,” Nikhil says. “And even though we were finally able to operate Feastro-Global Bistro by July (2020), it was starting to look like COVID was going to be with us for years, so we had better find something with a more solid base, to build upon.”

They spent close to a year kicking tires at potential sites, in practically every corner of the city. They placed offers on a few spots, only to see each snapped away at the last minute. They were becoming increasingly frustrated, but the second Nikhil learned Blondie’s was closing, he crossed his fingers, hoping it would be the ticket.

Nikhil and Kiran were officially handed the keys in June 2022. While they waited for their landlord to complete a slew of renovations, they put their heads together, to figure out what direction they should go, menu-wise. Through his training, Nikhil is comfortable preparing everything from sushi to spaghetti, so the question on their minds was what types of cuisine were lacking, in that neck of the woods?

As homework, they spent a couple of weeks driving back and forth on Main Street, from Chief Peguis Trail to Redwood Avenue. They recognized that there were close to a dozen places along that stretch where one could grab a burger, but there was nary a Mexican-flavoured restaurant to be found. Nikhil was getting ready to polish up his skills, perfecting enchiladas and tamales, when they wondered: perhaps there was a reason there weren’t any spots serving chimichangas and the like?

What they came to realize from talking with passers-by was that Kildonan Park is a huge factor in that end of the city, especially in the summer. And what goes better at a family picnic in the park than burgers, hotdogs and fries, they concluded?

Admittedly, it took far longer to get things off the ground than they had anticipated. Most of the interior work was completed by last August — besides painting the walls, they also had the flooring and furniture fully replaced — only they hadn’t accounted for a mountain of red tape that was involved, bringing the decades-old premises up to code.

As it turned out, the Golden Boy Bistro’s first week in business coincided with January’s La Poutine Week, which the Thakkars had signed up for, in the hope that they would be up and running by then. It didn’t take long for word to spread about their entry, a butter chicken poutine garnished with slices of deep-fried chicken, Bothwell cheese curds, cilantro and homemade gravy.

The dish proved so popular, in fact, that they were forced to add a variation of it to a menu that currently boasts wings, salads, smokies and a Golden Boy burger, which features a beef or chicken patty slathered with cheese, chili, bacon and a secret sauce. (Further to sauces; Nikhil had never heard of honey-dill sauce before coming to Canada. That didn’t stop him from coming up with his own version, which he proudly serves alongside plump chicken tenders.)

Nikhil and Kiran are firm believers in the adage that the customer is always right. For that reason, they try to chat with their guests as often as possible, to ascertain what appeals to them in the way of food and drink — the Golden Boy Bistro is licensed to serve beer and wine — as well as whatever else they can provide, going forward.

Those stark, white walls, for example? The intent is to make them available to local artists, to display and/or sell their work.

“We’ll definitely be taking cues from the people who show up to spend their hard-earned money,” Nikhil says, adding they have also formed associations with different charitable organizations, and have provided meals to both the Main Street Project and Resource Assistance for Youth (RAY), on Sherbrook Street.

“We’re not in this to put millions in the bank. We moved to a place that’s close-by, and whatever we make, we put back into the community, by buying our groceries at local stores, or by trying the other restaurants.

“Blondie’s was a landmark here for years, right? If we can enjoy even some of Sandy’s success, we’ll count ourselves lucky.”

David Sanderson writes about Winnipeg-centric restaurants and businesses.

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca