timinganddelivery.com

Snowflakes may not be falling in Vancouver, or staying around for very long - recall Vancouver’s recent snow fall (scary visions of boiling water again just leapt out of the time fog as I wrote that), but as Starbucks told you back in October, it’s the Holiday Season!

And along with the requisite Holiday party dog and pony show comes vast amounts of socializing, beveraging, fooding and transporting (these 3 suggestions should help if you’re in need of wheels).

Getting back to food, which the logo above probably already gave away, last week, my company had its Holiday party at the TransContinental - a slick new lounge in Vancouver’s Gastown district; however, it was in the middle of the week and consequently, was over before it started, really.  It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but extremely short and devoid of any sizable amount of food (was not a sit down event). 

I suppose in an environment of vigilant cost controls and increased concern by the employer for employee safety where alcohol is involved, the format made sense. Making sense, though, still can leave you wanting more. Which brings me to the reason for me writing this in the first place…Fuel Restaurant at 1944 West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano.

After our ‘mid-afternoon gathering’, we were in need of sustenance. I have known about Fuel Restaurant for some time (being a kits resident and an interested party when it comes to the many the ins and outs of the Vancouver restaurant scene); however, neither of us had yet been there since it opened earlier this year. In light of Fuel’s recent accolades as one of Canada’s top new restaurants to dine at, we grabbed a taxi and off we went!

Being appreciative of good service when it’s received, I can certainly say that Fuel Restaurant understands the benefits of treating customers well. How do I know this and why am I saying this? Let me recount my first impression of Fuel (which is massively important in the whole scheme of things).

[Couple gets out of taxi and witnesses a very busy Fuel Restaurant from the outside – probably because the entire restaurant is visible from the street - including the kitchen]

Host: Good evening to you both, have you reserved a space with us this evening?

Me: No…we just got back from a Holiday thing and are in dire need of great food and warmth. (note to reader: was really cold this night)

Host: Absolutely, that won’t be a problem.

Me: (surprised, because Fuel was really busy)

Host: Right this way (sits us at the only table free in the restaurant and within seconds we were attended to for drink suggestions and other items of interest)

Us: (very happy…Fuel gave us ‘what’ we wanted ‘when’ we wanted it)

The next few hours were filled with:

• a very cozy atmosphere (Fuel Restaurant’s design is outstanding as it has been planned out to channel restaurant noise appropriately so it never seems overly loud, even when it is extremely busy, as was the case with us); 

• great conversation;

• succulent dishes (I highly recommend the Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto and house smoked ‘Polderside’ duck); and

• service that makes you want to come back. And that’s what matters, don’t you think?

I mean, really, Vancouver is home to countless restaurants each with their unique offering of food, atmosphere and all the rest of it (I talk about a whole whack of them here). But, what is it that keeps you coming back to (or avoiding) those you’ve already been to? Is it the way the table looked, the music that was playing when you walked in, or the way your steak was done? Maybe.

For me, a large part of that decision is about the way I am treated and to be honest with you, on that cold December night when the staff at Fuel Restaurant timed their delivery just perfectly for our situation, that decision has been made. 

darren