New restaurant set to open in Yellowknife’s Old Town

The co-owner of a new restaurant opening in Yellowknife’s Old Town says his motivation to start the business stems from wanting to continue his family’s culinary legacy.

Shehzad Khan, originally from India, said he comes from a family of chefs and found an opportunity to join the industry when he moved to Yellowknife four years ago.

“I’m coming from a hotelier background … my grandparents and their grandparents were also chefs – it is a generational thing for me that I want to pursue and move my family trend forward. That was my call,” Khan told Cabin Radio.

Khan and partners Sukhwinder Singh and Purab Barot now co-own Flamecraft Grill ‘n’ Chill, which will open at 3505 McDonald Drive – formerly the Dancing Moose, then Fishy People – on Saturday, June 15.

“They have great open windows. They offer great white sun during the daytime and even in the winters, [people] can enjoy warm weather,” said Barot.

“Old Town is the heart of the town, it’s by the lakeside. They will have a good breakfast or brunch on a Sunday morning. We also have a patio during the summer.”

Keen on welcoming an “experienced chef,” Khan approached friend of the family Manoj Chandra, who has worked in kitchens for roughly 15 years. Chandra moved to the city from Vancouver last month with an idea to create a pan-Asian menu mixed with continental food.

“We want to give an Indian touch to the menu and are doing something different, like a mix of cuisines,” Chandra said.

Flamecraft is the third Indian-run restaurant to open in Yellowknife since the start of 2023.

Masala Kingdom opened in April that year, followed by Bluebell Eatery in November. Khan said he wants locals to enjoy “a taste of back home.”

“We all have our passion for cooking … even back home, we were associated in the same business, the hospitality sector, and that’s what we wanted to do here as well,” he said.

“Guests get to enjoy some diversity [in food]. This is what we kept in mind when we were designing the menu.”

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