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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Hotel guests who were unhappy about the range of meals available at the Chateau Nova Inn and Suites in the past will have no such problem with the hotel's new restaurant, Avens Glacier.

Assistant manager Susie Ng and Elsa Mang, owner of the new Chateau Nova Inn restaurant Avens Glacier, display a six-page menu for the North American and Asian cuisine eatery. - Thandiwe Vela/NNSL photo

The North American and Asian food diner on the third floor of Chateau Nova boasts a six-page menu, including favourites such as pizza and burgers; Chinese food including noodles and barbecue pork; and fine-dining items such as rack of lamb and fish, said restaurateur Elsa Mang.

"It's Avens Glacier fine dining," said Ibrahim Neviri, general manager of Chateau Nova, the hotel that will be rebranded Yellowknife Days Inn and Suites following its purchase from the international chain, which becomes official in October.

"It's a different scale of restaurant compared to what we had before," Neviri said, referring to the hotel's last restaurant, pizzeria Papa Jim's.

"(Avens Glacier) is a nice addition to the food industry in the downtown area," he said.

Despite a number of existing Asian cuisine restaurants in the city, the hotel chose Mang's proposal in an open-bidding process, because its range of offerings catered to the taste preferences of guests who stay at the hotel, Neviri said.

"There's a high demand for this restaurant, believe it or not, from our guests and from people out there in the community. Compared to the restaurant before from the guests' point of view, it was not that kind of a restaurant that could serve everybody's needs.

"We get a variety of different guests staying here and people were asking for better variety."

Hotel guests prefer to eat in the hotel than to venture out for meals across the city, Neviri said.

"The temperatures out there get to over minus 50 C, minus 40 C, so people feel comfortable to use the dining room in the hotel," he said. "So they expect a variety of food will be served."

Mang, who has owned restaurants and karaoke lounges in Calgary, said the restaurant will also host music and social events during the weekends and in the bar area.

Avens Glacier was scheduled to open its doors Sept. 10, but the opening was delayed until Sept. 15 due to a fire marshal inspection.

A grand opening of the restaurant is to follow in October, coinciding with the rebranding to a Days Inn and Suites from the Chateau Nova.

"Since we are heading towards a name change, there is the opportunity of branding this restaurant into the Days Inn," Neviri said. "There's quite a huge opportunity for the new owner to really provide excellent service."

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