hink this Century is so yesterday? Think again. Taste meets real estate at this upscale eatery located in the confines of a historic building on Richards Street. Century certainly started out of the gate strong, luring a chic see-and-be-seen throng every night. The buzz of the crowd at the bar, however, does little to dampen the aura of romance in the stunning dining room.

With an address that previously housed Il Palazzo, Lola’s and Ballantyne’s, Century takes its inspiration from Spanish churches in Peru and Havana, incorporating modern architecture with a Latin flare. The dining room is as lavish as the Nuevo Latino it serves. With long velvet curtains, Victorian chandeliers, exposed pillars, a marble staircase leading to a second floor and, filling almost one whole wall, a massive mural of Che Guevara, it's a frenzy of chic resto-revolution.

Sean Sherwood (Fiction, Lucy Mae Brown), Mike Mitton and Tom Maroon, who have helmed their share of high-end kitchens, seem to be running their dream restaurant. Century just feels like the work of restaurant-lifers. Matt Straus, who has been behind the wine lists at Grace and Sona, heads the exemplary wine card. The menu, scripted in discipline-grounded daring, is small in size but big in scope, as diners are encouraged to share dishes (items are presented in full or half order sizes).

The fare - generated by 26-year-old Chef Remi Dubois (Ritz Carlton and Salish Lodge) -fuses West Coast ingredients with Latin flavours. Plantain Fritters & Pork Bellies, for example, is a plate of crispy plantain cakes with cinnamon maple braised kurabuto pork bellies and an herb salad. Other appetizers, like the Dungeness Crab(a cilantro crepe stuffed with fresh lump crab, roasted sweet chilies and garlic).