North Bay airport café reopening downtown
The Northern Himalayan Café, which used to be located in the city’s airport, is moving downtown.
Co-owners Laxmi Konwar and Sujala Niroula said Friday the pandemic hurt business at the airport, prompting the move.
"We need more multicultural food, more taste and more flavour and this is the flavour we are adding,” said Konwar.
“That's why we are very excited about it."
When it was at the North Bay Jack Garland Airport, it was recognized as a top Canadian airport restaurant. Then COVID-19 devastated the travel industry and the restaurant closed in March 2020.
"We even contacted Skip The Dishes and looked for other delivery possibilities, but they wouldn't go up there so we had to close,” said Niroula.
Undaunted, the pair acquired the old Union Taxi location on Main Street. It's currently being renovated and will be the new site of the café.
The owners said their goal was always to open downtown and cook traditional Nepalese food based on the Himalayan region. They said the food is quite similar to Chinese or Tibetan.
"It's a different culture in a plate," said Konwar.
"At the airport we had limitations because we had to serve the people quick. We can expand here and experiment and see what people like."
The café will seat up to 30 customers. The co-owners also want to create an elevated outdoor seating area with a lake view while at the same time hoping to bring a new vibe to the downtown cuisine culture.
"This is a perfect location for us to be and we are connected to Lakeshore Drive and connected up along (Main Street),” Niroula said.
“This is the perfect spot."
They hope to relaunch the café in October.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.