Chambar

[nwyles]

Booked a table of 10 for wife and friends on her birthday. Arrive at 8:30 - place is packed - had to elbow our way up to the hostess. Table is ready right away.

Seated in the back section - I had never been back there - both times previous we were up in the front. - Nice look, great feel. Some really nice light fixtures, fantastic tables.

Side note - one large booth in the corner - the power booth - sat empty all night - rumour had it that a four piece band from Ireland might appear for dinner - That would have been very, very, cool, but alas, they did not show. Spoke to Sean Heather today - there was a table set aside for an Irish band at the Heather - that was for tonight ( Sat. ) so I do not know if they showed there.

This is my third visit. The first two were Ok - there were some service issues, nothing major. I would imagine that hitting the ground at about Mach 3 will do that. The food has always been stellar and tonight did not dissappoint. Chef Nico delivers. Hot, interesting, nicely plated, fresh, all good. Really.

What really stood out was the service. It was spot on. There when you needed etc. I was watching the room all night and that was what was going on all over the place. The perfect amount of staff on to make everybody happy. Nobody was running, everyone working as a team. Smooth. Comfortable. They read the table well. We were there to have fun, 10 friends who have not seen each other in awhile. No flourishes and fanfare with each meal delivered, announcing every farmer who had a hand in the growing of the vegetables, everyone scared to eat it because it is so pretty - this is not that kind of place - the food was fantastic and lots of it. It was devoured, right to the last lick of sauce. We had fun. It lived up to it's name. A good time all round. Lots of beers and wine, water glasses always full etc.

Chef Nico is either a genius or so cruel. Those mussels are crying out for a loaf of bread to mop up all of the sauce. It is offered as a side. Clever, very clever.

There has been lots of chatter on this board about Chambar. Most good, some not so good. The reality is that this restaurant is still in it's infancy and is already hitting it's stride. This city has not seen many restaurants open up with the sort of, I do not know - hype, anticiapation, longing, curiosity - wow - these guys really delivered. Chambar is here to stay. They are not a flash in the pan type of place. There food is a clear hit and the service matches.

Kudos to Nico and Karri and staff for a job well done.

Edited March 20, 2005 by nwyles (log)

[hopkin]

Chef Nico is either a genius or so cruel. Those mussels are crying out for a loaf of bread to mop up all of the sauce. It is offered as a side. Clever, very clever.

clever, if they got the bread right! the mussels are almost always fantastic, but i have yet to recieve decent bread even as i'm forced, yet willing to pay for it. they started out doing the [over]grilled focaccia - slow, too complicated, and for dipping in this its all wrong, adding another (usualy burnt flavour).

Congolaise mussels "with tomato, smoked chilli and cilantro with a touch of coconut cream and lime". its a close rendition of Thai Tom Yum Gai. Its my favourite with mussles.. fragrant, sour, and perfectly spicy.

My last visit (4th time) I was disappointed. The sauce was red, and spicy hot. All we could taste was heat. I mentioned it to our server, worries Nico had altered the recipe, but she just comp'd us a couple of nice beers. Ok! So then the bread came to sop up my heartburn sauce: an italian like roll on a plate with a knife. it was tough, because i had to slice it myself. its such a hard thing to screw up, at this point I can only guess Nico has a thing about bread with mussels.

All said, I will return again, and i will order the same thing, again, hoping for as good as the first few visits, and that they solve thier bread issue.

[hopkin]

Ok. Ok. I have to comment something about coffee.

A friend at the table insisted on ordering an espresso. I insisted that he did not. He insisted.

After he recieved and tasted the drink, we wished that I had more strongly insisted.

But really, no points lost - its the status quo of restaurant coffee, es-pecially espresso.

[jamiemaw]

We began a birthday evening for my daughter at Chambar on Friday evening (it culminated at Le Crocodile), over cocktails and appetizers. Of the several starters that we sampled, one was a standout--a tartare of venison spiked with capers and neat lick of heat.

My fiancee and daughter arrived, post-birthday shopping--to a near-empty room at 5:30. By the time we left at 7:30 it was nearly full and certainly buzzy. It was good to see the service so neatly syncopated; Andre and Karri seem to have staff/guest ratios well-gauged to the point of few pregnant pauses.

There was one though. That was when Karri shared that there's a little chef in the oven. And more good news about Chambar's post-shakedown longevity? In addition to garnering a wine award the other day, Karri and Nico have already paid off their LIFO debt, a not inconsiderable sum.

[nwyles]

Ok. Ok.  I have to comment something about coffee.

A friend at the table insisted on ordering an espresso.  I insisted that he did not.  He insisted.

After he recieved and tasted the drink, we wished that I had more strongly insisted.

But really, no points lost - its the status quo of restaurant coffee, es-pecially espresso.

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One of the guys at our table ordered a coffee after dinner and was very impressed that it came as an Americano. This is a move that I have been considering and trying to impliment at the HSG but old waiter habits are hard to break. It is a small thing but I think that it exceeds the guests expectations. I would certainly be happy having that than a cup of coffee that has been sitting in a thermos for an hour.

Alistair, any thoughts on that ?

Edited March 20, 2005 by nwyles (log)

[SushiCat]

Interesting thread, still haven't been able to make it Chambar, just can plan that far in advance or something ...

On the coffee after dinner deal, or any coffee brewing in restaurants ... I have to say that I don't understand why this is so often an event not worth the few dollars ... I do know that the only decent restaurant coffee I have had was at Parkside, and it was beyond decent, one of my dining companions ordered it and raved so long I had to order one to see what the fuss was all about. I'm not saying that Parkside is the only restaurant brewing decent coffee, because I normally would not order coffee after dinner, it is too often a huge disappointment, so I normally do what the Italians do, take a coffee at a local cafe during the after dinner walk (ok, so I might drive to the Elysian Room, but it is the same concept!).

If you serve coffee within a few minutes of brewing, then many people will think it is ok, if you are storing coffee for any length of time, then you need to brew smaller amounts. Brewing smaller amounts is easily done by making espresso / americano's and the like. I doubt it is more expensive in ingredients, but it is more costly for labour ... however before this turns into a rant - bad espresso or americanos is just as bad as bad coffee, well IMO worse, but this can easily be remedied - control on who is pooring those coffees.

ok rant over

[eatrustic]

Is the Americano being charged as one? .....or is it being charged as the regular coffee you ordered?

[hopkin]

That was when Karri shared that there's a little chef in the oven. And more good news about Chambar's post-shakedown longevity? In addition to garnering a wine award the other day, Karri and Nico have already paid off their LIFO debt, a not inconsiderable sum.

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<applause!>

One of the guys at our table ordered a coffee after dinner and was very impressed that it came as an Americano. This is a move that I have been considering and trying to impliment at the HSG but old waiter habits are hard to break. It is a small thing but I think that it exceeds the guests expectations. I would certainly be happy having that than a cup of coffee that has been sitting in a thermos for an hour.

Alistair, any thoughts on that ?

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If you had excellent brewed coffee, even after an hour it will be much better than an ill-prepared Americano. To make a proper, great tasting americano you will need to invest in equipment, continuous training time, and continuous tweaking time. To pull off espresso properly in any situation you need someone there with the passion to make it happen. You need someone in your establishment that will take on the project and show everyone else what to do and enforce the standards.

Its not worth it. On the other hand, you can invest in some really good tableware, some basic equipment, and with a good supplier you can be brewing world class coffee quite easily. The delivery will be consistant, it will make great impressions and you'll 'finish' better than any restaurant in town.

I have a lot to say about coffee in restaurants, this could be a new thread all together.

[nwyles]

Is the Americano being charged as one? .....or is it being charged as the regular coffee you ordered?

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Just a coffee on the bill.

[waylman]

A group of 5 of us are heading over tomorrow night for my wife's bday. None of us have dined there before. What are the must haves on the menu?

[Andrew Morrison]

The last time I was there I had the elk loin. Delicious.

Have a great time and please report back.

[BCinBC]

Okay, I'll answer.

waylman, as per Neil's call for an "official Forum Host" yesterday in the Vancouver Steak Houses thread, the best thing to do is to search this board for similar topics. Go to the lower right portion of the forum page, type "Chambar" in the keyword box, and hit Search Forum.

Very recent threads discussing Chambar include Neil's (the one with the U2 reference), the after VanMag awards party, DOV experience, and most likely Where Have You Dined Lately as well. Check em out.

As a note, I'm in the same boat when it comes to new members wondering how to do certain things (eg how to use quotes, italics, post pictures, etc). For those who are unaware, there is a forum on eG tech tips. Remember, it's okay to leave the friendly confines of the Vancouver forum!

Cheers!

[waylman]

Okay, I'll answer.

waylman, as per Neil's call for an "official Forum Host" yesterday in the Vancouver Steak Houses thread, the best thing to do is to search this board for similar topics. Go to the lower right portion of the forum page, type "Chambar" in the keyword box, and hit Search Forum.

Very recent threads discussing Chambar include Neil's (the one with the U2 reference), the after VanMag awards party, DOV experience, and most likely Where Have You Dined Lately as well. Check em out.

As a note, I'm in the same boat when it comes to new members wondering how to do certain things (eg how to use quotes, italics, post pictures, etc). For those who are unaware, there is a forum on eG tech tips. Remember, it's okay to leave the friendly confines of the Vancouver forum!

Cheers!

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I have no idea what you just said

[shelora]

[canucklehead]

Love the picture

One thing about Chambar - it is not a fancy reserved restaurant. It is fun and hopping and can get quite loud. In fact - the first time I went there was a foursome beside me that were so amazingly loud - I thought I was on a hidden camera show. They were also a little creepy - could'nt keep their hands off eachother - and I could'nt tell who was with who.

Last I went - they had a venison carpaccio that was very good - but I think that it was been replaced with a tartar version instead. The mussels are good and the frites very very nice (mussels still don't come with bread). I have always enjoyed the lamb tagine. The chocolate desserts are good - deeply bittersweet and dark.

The portion sizes are civilized - so you should feel comfortably satisfied. But feel free to order more, relax and enjoy yourself.

[waylman]

much thanks for the suggestions, I will report back when the hangover wears off (mondayish probably)

[Harry Sturhahn]

The lamb was kind of fun! Great staff!!!

[waylman]

Reporting back...

The place was packed and very hopping when we showed up at 8:30pm. We were seated in the back room which I thought was a little too bright, but it was not a distraction. Ladies ordered vodka tonics and the guys had Leffe's which was a very tasty brew indeed!

For appetizers we had mussels Congolaise which were cooked with fresh tomato, smoked chilli and cilantro with a touch of coconut cream and lime. They were extremely tasty...as were the pomme frites on the side. The ladies also ordered a salad of some sort which they said was great.

For dinner, 3 of us had the elk loin, 1 had the lamb and 1 had the duck. All were exceptional. The lamb seemed to be the crowd favourite although I didn't try it myself. With dinner we had a couple of nice bottles of Cab from Spain.

I had brought a birthday cake from the Sutton so that was dessert.

All in all, a very fun evening...too fun in fact. (I had a vicious hangover yesterday). The service was very good...they could have been a little more attentive but they certainly do not rush you. It must have been after 11 by the time we left. I'll be back very soon to try something else on the menu.

Overall, I highly recommend it. I can say with certainty that it's my new favourite restaurant. The noise might bother some, but that's just the way I like it!

[eatbc]

It sounds like you had a great meal and a fun evening, waylman. I was just wondering why you thought you had to bring your own dessert to a restaurant of this calibre?

I had brought a birthday cake from the Sutton so that was dessert.

It just seems odd.

Edited April 18, 2005 by eatbc (log)

[canucklehead]

I can understand bringing your own cake. Restaurants don't usually sell whole cakes - and there is always something very nice about the whole ceremony of have a whole cake to cut an share with your loved ones.

Especially true if you have a cake that has become a traditional b-day cake. When I lived in HK - I would always want the Penninsula's chestnut cake. In Vancouver - I am still searching for the ideal black forest cake... that will be my new cake.

[waylman]

I brought the cake b/c it was my wife's bday....and the cakes from Sutton Place are sooooo good!

[eatbc]

Sorry, but I can't understand bringing your own cake into any restaurant.

This was covered in another thread last year (what topic wasn't?), but...

Did you call and find out if Chambar would make (sell) you a cake?

Why didn't you have your entire meal at Sutton Place, if you love the food from there?

[canucklehead]

Sorry, but I can't understand bringing your own cake into any restaurant.

This was covered in another thread last year (what topic wasn't?), but...

Did you call and find out if Chambar would make (sell) you a cake?

Why didn't you have your entire meal at Sutton Place, if you love the food from there?

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Can someone point out the previous thread? I would like to read what other's have said.

I don't mean to speaking for waylman - but I don't understand what the big deal is if bringing a cake in is, as long as you call ahead to check that it is okay. Growing up - when there was a large group of us - we did this all time. Especially at family gatherings when someone had a real favorite cake from somewhere. I still see it being done all the time.

So if you don't have all three courses from the restaurant then you should not eat there at all? Is it better to get up, interrupt the gathering and have cake at home? It is because the restaurant has stopped making money from you?

Not trying to be a smartass - but if I am breaking some sort of basic ettiquite - then I want to make sure that I get with the program.

[waylman]

Why didn't you have your entire meal at Sutton Place, if you love the food from there?

You can't be serious. I phoned them ahead of time and made sure it was cool I brought my own cake. They didn't mind at all. If they had minded, I wouldn't even have pressed the issue.

[Mooshmouse]

Sorry, but I can't understand bringing your own cake into any restaurant.

This was covered in another thread last year (what topic wasn't?), but...

Did you call and find out if Chambar would make (sell) you a cake?

Why didn't you have your entire meal at Sutton Place, if you love the food from there?

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Can someone point out the previous thread? I would like to read what other's have said.

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After a brain-wracking search, I finally found the original thread: Bringing birthday cakes into restaurants, why?