As regular readers may remember (and food wonks/lovers most probably are still lamenting), Refuel shut its doors at 1944 West 4th a month and a half ago. Im still a little sore, but there are two silver linings assuaging the loss. First, the restaurants former chef, Ted Anderson, together with the owners, Tom Doughty and Robert Belcham, have banded together and opened another eatery, (the Chinese BBQ joint on the DTES that I reviewed positively a couple of weeks ago). Second, the address will very soon welcome another restaurant, the first from , who is a competitor on the current season of the Food Network show .
If all goes well, it should open the day after this goes to print. As Bird tells it, his restaurant wont be that much of a departure from what he and a co-competitor came up with for the shows restaurant wars episode. Tasked with nailing a restaurant brand and theme for the judges, the pair decided on a farm-to-table concept called Fable.
The focus will be updated versions of the comfort foods that many of us grew up with. Think pulled pork pogos with house-made mustard, exploding meatballs (a Top Chef Canada dish), fried chicken, potato skins with smoked bacon and Golden Ears cheddar, et cetera. The former Shangri-La chef de partie promises lots of vegetarian dishes, too, quoting food philosopher Michael Pollans dictum of Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much. That hell be leaning on local, organic and sustainable suppliers goes without saying. When asked which local restaurant hed liken Fable to, the former Montrealer singled out Kitsilanos Oakwood Canadian Bistro, where they give old-school Canadiana modern twists. I love what theyre doing there, he says.
Though still very much a construction site during my walk-through last week, the 62-seat room had nevertheless undergone a remarkable transformation. The old, weirdly wiry centerpiece chandelier was down and soon to be replaced by another made of mason jars. The dining room was wrapped in brick veneer, and dividing the brick into sections were wooden panels salvaged from the defunct Cecil strip club. The dark, wooden chairs were recently bought at auction, but Refuel customers will recognise the tables (now with a burnt treatment for added rusticity) and the bar top/kitchen pass as original. The walls that havent been clad in brick have been given a thick lick of burgundy paint, except for the feature wall at the rear of the dining room, which will retain its chalk farm drawing and three light box picture frames (albeit with new pictures within). Two wooden cabinets, one at the front and rear, will hold canned preserves and wines respectively, and small wagon wheels will be hung in the front window, from which Bird will decoratively string freshly made pastas and such. For staff uniforms, I overheard mention of jeans and plaid shirts (no word on whether theyll be required to chew on straw, too).
The rooms turnaround has been as quick as Birds rise, though both havent come without drama. To many in the trade, the 28-year-old came across as a bit of a rookie in a recent press interview that had him complaining of how slow his career was advancing in Vancouver. This citys been just so hard to make it in, he said, adding how it was insane and ridiculous that he was still just a line cook after three years of living here. He then ruffled not a few more industry feathers by publicly embarrassing the exiting cooks of Refuel for not leaving behind a pristine workplace. In a blog post on his personal website (TrevorBird.com), he wrote of how he would be embarrassed to work in a such a dirty open kitchen, and then went on to call out his predecessors for their lack of kitchen pride. This hasnt gone over well. A line cook calling out chefs Robert Belcham and Jane Cornborough is a little like Cody Hodgson complaining to the Sedins that they dont pass enough.
But never mind that. Personally, Ive always seen arrogance and ambition as indicators of good health in a chef. Ive certainly known many whove been burdened with substantial egos, but seldom have I ever tasted cause to doubt their self-assuredness. In this instance because Ive neither tasted a bite of Birds food nor watched a single episode of Top Chef Canada Im completely in the dark. Im told he has plenty of game by people I trust, so I have faith that hes the real deal. To date, he has survived elimination on the program, and thats a good sign, as is the fact that hes opening a restaurant.
Though he cant tell anyone whether he has won the title of Top Chef Canada, the move is a bit of a giveaway (Dale Mackay won last year, and hes since opened two successful restaurants in prohibitively expensive downtown). Its a very rare thing indeed to find a chef de partie opening a high-rent restaurant without any executive experience, and rarer still to find one with willing business partners (which Bird has). They all must be aware of the stakes. The location has a nasty habit of spitting out restaurants, so if Bird doesnt win, his talent, such as it is, might not be enough to pack diners in. It certainly wasnt enough for the crew at Refuel, and they were drenched in critical praise.
If, however, he does win, the notoriety should give him a good cushion upon which to rest, and I trust the $100,000 in prize money wont hurt. Either way, Kitsilano (and Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»in general) could always use new efforts from hungry, first time independents, so despite not caring for cable, Ill definitely be rooting for the guy.
