ining in a Four Seasons Hotel has always been an amazing experience, and the Vancouver high-end location is no exception to the rule. Last year, the local branch acquired Cuba-born Rafael Gonzalez, renowned for his culinary excellence and adeptness with Latin flavours, as the Executive Chef in order to kick the food up to a higher notch.

Despite the culinary improvements, the dining area aesthetics hadn’t been changed for years and the stale décor – late-‘80s anyone? - was bringing the high-end ambience down a few shades. Obvious to almost anyone who entered, this restaurant was due for a Trading Spaces makeover.

Since the Four Seasons had a tendency to go big (or its guests go home) a makeover of epic proportions was performed on the dining area and bar and was officially released to the masses. The updated space - re-dubbed YEW, after the rare indigenous Pacific Yew tree, a name that hints at its nature-focused theme - has been opened up with 20-foot ceilings and an abundance of skylights and large windows. Lustrous wood-paneled walls, natural rock, and a floor-to-ceiling sandstone fireplace add warmth and bring the sublime landscapes of British Columbia indoors.

With the dining space being so expansive, it was divided up into several different sections to lend an intimate feel. Two open-kitchens, a lounge area, and a number of different dining sections were created to give that much-needed look and feel. A contemporary "raw bar" now features stacked alder wood with granite surfaces and serves up octopus, tuna, lobster and a selection of local oysters. A communal table for twenty is made from a single slab of hand-hewn western maple, while the sky-lit private dining room is enclosed in glass – great for those who like intimacy but still want to be seen.

It’s a posh scene, even during the day, so try to tidy up a tad. The evening crowd is yet to fully establish itself, but Chef Gonzales has put together a menu that is certain to draw the urban influencers, while also pleasing more conservative types. In hotel restaurant fashion, YEW serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner. Start the day with a buffet or a la carte, or come for the Latin-themed Sunday brunch. Lunch guests are both businessmen and shoppers stopping in for a much-needed break. Choose from a full range of innovative sandwiches or have a lunch with shared appetizers followed by the seafood paella, chicken curry or steak frites.