Ron Brill over at MartiniBoys.com beat me to it, so here’s an excerpt from his review of Fuel – Gastopod’s western neighbour.
With their plucky expectation-defiance, Executive Chef Robert Belcham and sommelier Tom Doherty (both from C and Nu) have taken a huge risk with Fuel, their latest Kits restaurant. They have crumpled up the typical resto-formula and written a new strategy.
Spacious and tranquil, the 40-seat dining room – taking over the space that was previously the Arian House of Kabobs – is un-camp and stoic, with clean refined notes taking precedent over hip flourishes. The room sports a simple beige and brown colour scheme with stained wood screens. A large wrap-around bar overlooks the kitchen, encouraging diners to interact with the chefs and kitchen crew.
A hyper-talented young chef, Belcham has built a menu that tries to play it both ways: offering simple, delicious dishes as well as often-successful forays into innovation. It’s not that easy to make simple food properly, but Belcham and his crew are turning out wonderful, uncontrived dishes with an unquestionably quirky charm.
Be sure to check out Ron’s full review for some feedback on the menu. Thanks Ron – we’ll have to check Fuel out soon.
Last modified: November 18, 2008
