In early August, the red corner unit on Leslie Road was a teardown with a ladder in the window.
It now has a name on it.
Dolan, a Xinjiang halal restaurant, is taking over 8111 Leslie Road in Richmond, the room Szechuan Tales quietly closed in August.
Signage went up recently, and through the windows the renovation looks close to finished.
No opening date has been posted, but the room reads like weeks rather than months.
The name is the interesting part, and it is not a chain.
Search Dolan and you will find restaurants under that name in several cities, with different logos and no shared branding, because Dolan is not a family name.
In Xinjiang, the Dolan are a group living around Awat County, the Yarkand River valley and the Lop Nur region, who speak Uyghur and are best known for a distinct musical tradition of chants, drums and plucked and bowed strings now classed under Uyghur Muqam.
Naming a Uyghur restaurant Dolan is closer to naming a Vancouver restaurant after a region than after a person, which is why the name recurs without the restaurants being related.
The Google listing lays out the pitch in the restaurant’s own words.
“Inspired by the rich culinary traditions of the Uyghur people and the diverse heritage of Xinjiang, we bring generations of authentic flavors to every dish we serve.”
The same listing opens on the Silk Road, with merchants and travellers gathering around warm tables to share food, music and friendship.
What the menu actually holds has not been published yet.
The unit has a longer history with this food than the Szechuan Tales era suggests.
Beijiang Restaurant, a halal Xinjiang Uyghur spot open since 2009, ran out of 8111 Leslie Road for years before Szechuan Tales took the corner in 2022.
But the address is going back to the cuisine it held before, which is not how most Richmond turnovers go.
Dolan joins other upcoming Richmond food spots including No.1 Beef Noodle Kitchen on No. 6 Road, Molly Tea at Richmond Centre, and Mr. Noodle Chen.
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Address: 8111 Leslie Road, Richmond, BC