Want to know what’s near impossible? Getting lunch reservations in downtown Vancouver on short notice during the Christmas season. Keep in mind, I said ‘near’ impossible…
Enter YEW restaurant + bar at the Four Seasons Vancouver.
Thanks to urbandiner’s coverage of opening night (great video, Andrew…love the mermaid), I managed to get a lunch reservation for four only two days after it opened.
Despite what you may think about a new restaurant having to ‘work out the kinks’ before it’s ready for prime time, our party got no sense of that whatsoever.
From the minute we walked in to the sorting out of the coats (and umbrellas) when we left, the staff was coordinated in their delivery, efficient with their service, knowledgeable about the wine selection (150 wines available by the glass), and something I think goes a long way…attentive/aware of its customers (which, as you may already know, some restaurants could get a better hold of).
Stepping back for a second, let me sum up the experience we had at Yew Restaurant in one word: finally!
Why do I say this? Why am I being so blunt? To be honest with you, I think that the ‘Garden Terrace’, the previous owner of Yew Restaurant’s (very valuable) food and beverage footprint, was beginning to struggle in the attraction department.
Although I’ve never been a guest of the Four Seasons Vancouver, I’ve attended a number of events at the hotel over the years (conferences, trade shows, meetings, weddings, you name it) and the Garden Terrace was simply something you ‘walked by’ to get to where you wanted to go.
The Vancouver Sun ran an interesting piece on Yew Restaurant in today’s paper that I think captured some pretty significant points that I’ve summed up here:
1) the attention to detail in design;
2) the differentiated bar menu and style; and
3) (perhaps most alarmingly to some) price is resonable!
Some of the key points in my view from today’s article:
Gone is the ladylike but cavernous Garden Terrace. Gone is the cosy but tiny lounge off to the side. And gone, too, is the old-fashioned Chartwell. In their place is a gorgeous, soaring space with spare lines and rich, natural materials.
A huge fireplace separates the lounge and restaurant…a wine cellar where the old lounge used to be, along with high-top tables, a graceful granite-and-alder bar and, across the room, the sleek raw bar…Yew looks great, but even more important is the skill behind the bar…
The bar staff have been training for weeks, says restaurant manager Jeff Hanson, adding that their energy, enthusiasm and knowledge of cocktail culture are as important as their mixing skills.
And, he adds, “One thing that’s really going to surprise people is, first of all, we’re not the expensive place.”
Yew Restaurant is significant enough, I think to cause you to stop, drop and roll your way into it. Believe me.
Two things I hope you take away from this post:
1) Yew Restaurant’s ambience and overall service offering will impress, regardless of occassion (at a reasonable price, I might add); and
2) I think I was somewhat lucky to get in so easily as not a lot of people are likely aware of it yet (probably all word-of-mouth/industry at this point).
So, if you’re after a very west coast and refreshing dining experience in the ever-changing downtown restaurant scene, you should get down to Yew (Restaurant).
darren
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