The team behind the forthcoming Corner Suite Bistro De Luxe (from left): executive chef Anthony Sedlak, executive sous chef Jason Leizert, and co-owners Andre McGillvray and Steve Da Cruz.

Credit: Doug Shanks

ON THE PLATE: Get ready to get fed

In terms of new and notable restaurants, this summer has proved somewhat of a dud, relatively speaking. Sure, there have been a handful of very distinguished arrivals — the Diamond, Coast, and Nook among them — but compared to recent years, the number of newcomers has been alarmingly low. And it stands to reason: With the recession still in full swing and the dreaded, restaurant-killing HST on the horizon, why would any restaurateur in his or her right mind want to jump into this increasingly crowded, hyper-competitive market?

But there are some tenacious players out there, all of them working hard toward as-yet-undetermined opening dates. And these people have the industry experience to suggest they know what they’re doing. As the city prepares itself for the insanity that’s sure to characterize the sprint between Labour Day and the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Games, here are four forthcoming eateries — full of talent and promise — that are racing toward the finish line.

THE CORNER SUITE BISTRO DE LUXE
Location: The former Saveur and Piccolo Mondo spot at 850 Thurlow, just off the Robson drag, and within the bosomy embrace of a dozen soon-to-be-very-full hotels.
Concept: French-backboned comfort food, buttressed by a strong bar program and high service standards.
Personalities: Co-owned by front-of-house impresarios Andre McGillivray (ex-Chambar, Boneta) and Steve Da Cruz (ex-Gastropod, Boneta), with executive chef Anthony Sedlak (the telegenic and highly capable star of Food Network Canada’s The Main) in the kitchen.
Seats: 120, including a whopping 28-seat bar. A series of high-tops face away from the bar and over a rail into the dining room below.
Design notes: An elevated bar area dominates the room. Look out for powder-blue chairs from acclaimed Belgian furniture and design firm Six Inch, and B.C.’s only Venus Century 100-Year Anniversary espresso machine — one of only 100 that were made (the first was delivered to his holiness, the Pope).
Opening: After construction setbacks, the owners now expect it to open within the next two weeks.
Anticipate: Sedlak’s rib-eye steak frites, pork belly.
Prediction: With such savvy, experience, and star power, I’d be shocked if this didn’t totally knock it out of the park.
Info: TheCornerSuite.com

POURHOUSE
Location: The former Flux address at 162 Water Street, in the heart of Gastown — a spot that’s been crying out for the right concept for over a decade.
Concept: Simple, honest peasant food prepped by a fine-dining chef in a hip, good-times room.
Personalities: This is local bartending legend Jay Jones’s first crack at ownership, and he’s not a guy who messes things up. Ditto his chef and business partner, Chris Irving (ex-West). A very promising team.
Seats: 160, with 25 of them at a long, gorgeous bar that was ceremonially set in place by over two dozen of the owners’ peers and friends.
Design: Old meets new — marble, polished concrete floors, mosaic columns, a mirrored bar, and a chef’s table.
Opening: Before the end of September.
Anticipate: The return of the Sloppy Joe, and a permanently busy bar that all must pass en route to Gassy Jack Square.
Prediction: An immediate Gastown icon that’s in for a very long run. The tourists will never have had it so good.
Info: PourhouseVancouver.com

BAO BEI
Location: 163 Keefer Street, in the heart of Chinatown.
Concept: Traditional Shanghainese cuisine, artfully executed in a youthful, hip atmosphere, and anchored by a very well-run bar.
Personalities: Owner Tannis Ling was a fixture behind the bar at Chambar for its first four years, and is very well liked and admired for her affinity with booze. The chef will be Joel Watanabe, formerly of Bin 942, La Brasserie, and Araxi.
Seats: 40 on a long banquette and in three booths, with another 10 at the bar.
Design: Modern and stylish. Think Chambar, but with a Mandarin accent substituting for Belgian.
Opening: Ling has had the space since the middle of May, but doesn’t plan on having it open until November; maybe October, if all goes well.
Anticipate: Hot, steamy, juicy xiao long bao (Shanghai-style soup dumplings), and the best drinks in Chinatown.
Prediction: A lot of heart and soul. Ling is dead serious about getting the food’s authenticity exactly right.
Website forthcoming.

THE KEEFER BAR
Location: A $6 million heritage-modernization job at 135 Keefer Street, on the main floor of Chinatown’s upcoming boutique hotel, the Keefer (and just down the block from Bao Bei).
Concept: Cocktail-friendly, 21st-century Asian street tapas, developed by Two Chefs and a Table co-owner/chef Karl Gregg.
Personalities: The hotel manager is John Mayne, formerly Director of Rooms at Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa; GM of the bar is Matt Haynes, a young Newfoundlander new to Vancouver; and the owner is Cam Watt, a real-estate developer and the co-founder of Canadian Springs.
Seats: A mere 60.
Design: Battersby Howat (designers of Davie Street’s 1181) are behind the concept. I’ve seen renderings, and it looks fantastic.
Opening: November
Anticipate: Rock stars and scensters digging in to Asian-style street tapas.
Prediction: Together with Bao Bei, expect the Keefer to spark an influx of cool to Chinatown.
Info: TheKeefer.com