Move on to main courses and you will find an unusually indulgent range of fish and meat. A slow-roasted Sloping Hills Organic Pork Crispy shoulder ($29) is fused with the flavours of braised fennel and Russian garlic. It's not fancy, but it's real cooking. A dry age, AAA ribeye steak ($34), sliced and fanned out like a deck of cards is a perennially good bet. Served with sauteéd gnocchi, the steak lives up to expectations; it's tender and flavourful, though a bit overwhelmed by an over-reduced bordelaise sauce.
Delicious and fragrant, the roast Fraser Valley Leg of Lamb ($27) is meaty and sweet; even better, the Roasted Sablefish ($27) comes served with red heart radish and shiitake mushrooms. A little less hazelnut brown butter emulsion would make the still-admirable Crispy Rainbow Trout ($25) perfectly simple. Other worthy items include the slow cooked shin of beef and a roasted free range chicken with fresh sage stuffing.
The snob factor simply doesn't exist here. It's not unusual to see Belcham himself chatting up regulars and out-of-towners before joining the guys cooking in the open kitchen. Sitting at that counter, watching the chefs slap thick rib-eyes on the grill or art-direct a plate of Sablefish is always a great show. – R.B.
|
|
 AT A GLANCE
Fuel Restaurant
1944 West Fourth Avenue, Vancouver, BC
604-288-7905
Contemporary
Kitsilano
Venue:
Restaurant
Hours:
Daily: Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm Dinner: 5:30pm
Price Range:
$$$ (within reach)
Payment:
Master Card, Visa, American Express
|
 |
THE BUZZ
|
|
|
IN THE AREA
|
|
|
|
|
9 Reader Reviews | A restaurant that wants to last in this field needs to understand a few things in terms of keeping a business running - really great food and good service.
Fuel did not meet those 2 criteria. The creativity behind their steaks were lack-lustre and the accompaniments were uncreative - potatoes, spinach, and mushrooms. The steak looked enormous but a large portion was fat.
For the vegetarian, the options were limited to side dishes found in all the main courses listed on their current menu.
The decor, the maitre'd, and even the wait staff suggested a restaurant with promises of 3-4 star treatment and food. Unfortunately, this was not the case. No specials were presented and food listed on the menu were not available. When asked what we would like to drink no lists were presented and only until we requested for a drink list was it then given. Request for the menu was required, as this did not appear to occur to our wait staff that we would need it. We were still optimistic as our waitress was friendly and accommodating to our needs, but the kitchen failed to deliver to our expectations.
The food, ambience and service did not give you value for your money. I could have gone to the keg and had just as good service and even better food.
Normally, when you celebrate with friends or family, particularly for a special occasion like a birthday, you would appreciate some acknowledgement and even suggestions of a special treat by the wait staff and/or chef. This is not necessary or expected, but what should have been a wonderful time, turned into a less than good time by everyone. We had brought a cake in as we have done in many other restaurants from 2-5 stars. No word was mentioned of any charges for the use of their fridge, plates/bowls, forks, electricity, water, and use of their wait staff. When we requested our bill, we were unpleasantly surprised by the 'cake charge' of 24.50. We had to flag down our waitress after 5 minutes of looking out for her...no one else attempted to meet our eye or our needs to get the person we needed to speak to. When our waitress did come, she became less than friendly and was not keen on attempting to explain the reason for the extra charges. Almost 15 minutes later, the maitre'd popped over to ask what was the problem and without really listening to our story, he became defensive and assumed that all guests would know what they charge for and how much they charge for without having to say it or write it down.
The maitre'd informed us that because they are a business, they assumed that we knew that by going to their restaurant we were paying for the use of their linens, tables, plates, forks/knives/spoons, tap water, wait staff, and kitchen appliances. The presentation of the cake was poor and nothing was added, but simply taken away from the delivery of our friend's birthday cake.
The main point is this: extra charges of any sort, particularly the small charges that add up - gratuities that are automatically added to parties greater than a certain number of people; corkage fees that appear to vary between restaurants; etc. - needs to be written down on the menu and/or verbally delivered by the wait staff to ensure that their guests are aware of and have been given the choice to choose.
It is not about the money but the fact that we were not given a choice nor treated as guests of their restaurant.
1. Fcritic's Review :: September 06, 2008 Fcritic's Rating: 2 Stars |
What a restaurant. Even though I love dining out and do so often - it took me this long to try Fuel. I am in love and obsessed with my new found affair. The food seduced me. As beet salads are the new trend, many have been tasted but not so delectable as Fuels with its preparation of the beets themselves and the creamy in house ricotta. We both order the sablefish and when the dish came I thought I was expecting to be dissappointed due to size. From my first bite, to first slurp of the broth to the last linger of the celeriac ravioli I was in euphoria. It was with much discipline that left that last bite of the ravioli on my plate. My reluctant finale to the dish was a blissful state of ectasy. I just checked their site and am pleased to see a newly changing menu that will intoxicate my senses with new and exciting adventures. Fabulous!
2. Anonymous's Review :: March 06, 2008 |
What a restaurant. Even though I love dining out and do so often - it took me this long to try Fuel. I am in love and obsessed with my new found affair. The food seduced me. As beet salads are the new trend, many have been tasted but not so delectable as Fuels with its preparation of the beets themselves and the creamy in house ricotta. We both order the sablefish and when the dish came I thought I was expecting to be dissappointed due to size. From my first bite, to first slurp of the broth to the last linger of the celeriac ravioli I was in euphoria. It was with much discipline that left that last bite of the ravioli on my plate. My reluctant finale to the dish was a blissful state of ectasy. I just checked their site and am pleased to see a newly changing menu that will intoxicate my senses with new and exciting adventures. Fabulous!
3. Shannon Dolphin's Review :: March 06, 2008 Shannon Dolphin's Rating: 4 Stars |
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.
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
4. Anonymous's Review :: December 15, 2007 |
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.
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
5. Darren Patrick's Review :: December 15, 2007 Darren Patrick's Rating: 4 Stars |
Had a wonderful time at Fuel.....Heard about it from a friend, ( make reservations, or you will be disapointed, they must have turned away 20 people while we were there for dinner).
I must say this is the first time I have ever been treated so well at a restaurant....life is good....I felt very special.
The food was so excellent....I just wish I had more time to sample many of the wonderful dishes they offer.... Leave room for desert ( out of this world ).
I loved sitting at the open kitchen area...it was like dinner & a show...I must say I really learned to appreciate the fine art of presentation of a meal.
All around wonderful meal & very enjoyable time....
Thank you Fuel....you have set the bar high.
6. Anonymous's Review :: February 27, 2007 |
Had a wonderful time at Fuel.....Heard about it from a friend, ( make reservations, or you will be disapointed, they must have turned away 20 people while we were there for dinner).
I must say this is the first time I have ever been treated so well at a restaurant....life is good....I felt very special.
The food was so excellent....I just wish I had more time to sample many of the wonderful dishes they offer.... Leave room for desert ( out of this world ).
I loved sitting at the open kitchen area...it was like dinner & a show...I must say I really learned to appreciate the fine art of presentation of a meal.
All around wonderful meal & very enjoyable time....
Thank you Fuel....you have set the bar high.
7. Jenna's Review :: February 27, 2007 Jenna's Rating: 3 Stars |
I had so looked forward to my birthday dinner at Fuel, having heard so much positive hype in the news.
I admit that I have seldom been as disapointed ina Vancouver dining experience.
The mushroom slaad was anything but heaped (as in the recent reviews. It was in fact 2 small peices of romanie with one sliced musroom and a poached egg. While I ofund the presentation and combination to be pleasantg, there was little of it for the price and very little flavour. My comapnions pumpkin soup was unacceptably salty, the onion broth Ok - but not much to differentiate it coming out of a can.
The mains - trout was lovely, monksish was nice but the lamb dish was griselly and while I like my paok pink, this dish was underdone to the point of raw and very unappetizing. The accompanying fennel relish was also too salty.
The wine list had a very good range of choices.
I will not retgurn and would recommend against going to anyone who asks me!
8. Anonymous's Review :: February 14, 2007 |
I had so looked forward to my birthday dinner at Fuel, having heard so much positive hype in the news.
I admit that I have seldom been as disapointed ina Vancouver dining experience.
The mushroom slaad was anything but heaped (as in the recent reviews. It was in fact 2 small peices of romanie with one sliced musroom and a poached egg. While I ofund the presentation and combination to be pleasantg, there was little of it for the price and very little flavour. My comapnions pumpkin soup was unacceptably salty, the onion broth Ok - but not much to differentiate it coming out of a can.
The mains - trout was lovely, monksish was nice but the lamb dish was griselly and while I like my paok pink, this dish was underdone to the point of raw and very unappetizing. The accompanying fennel relish was also too salty.
The wine list had a very good range of choices.
I will not retgurn and would recommend against going to anyone who asks me!
9. Berube,Mary Beth's Review :: February 12, 2007 Berube,Mary Beth's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
|
 1944 West Fourth Avenue, Vancouver, BC |
|
|
|
|
MBO Vancouver :: Vancouver Restaurants & Dining Guide
