One-of-a-kind bar stars in Metrotown makeover

BURNABY, BC—A one-of-a kind buffet table, induction cooking and an assist from Igor Shamraychuk of Restaurant Makeover fame played a starring role in Hilton Vancouver Metrotown’s $4 to $5 million renovation.  The makeover, which has revamped the hotel from the 18th floor right down to the lobby, took in guest rooms, banquet rooms and all of the 280-room property’s food and beverage outlets, starting at the beginning of this year.

Logistics for the main hotel renovations were tricky, but the hotel could close off rooms and floors depending on occupancy.

“In food and beverage, we didn’t have the luxury of closing down,” Scott Fitch, the hotel’s director of food and beverage told CLN in an interview. “We had to maintain our three meal periods between 6 a.m. and midnight.” For example, if crews were laying carpet in the lounge, they would have to relocate the bar, without giving the impression of having a bar stuffed in a corner, or of banquet-style service with linens and table skirting.

“We worked with different cabinetry, and shelving units. We situated and rearranged the furniture, added different draperies, sheers and tall plants, as well as some refrigeration units that looked as though they had always been there,” Fitch added.

 The hotel has three dining areas with two patios, in addition to its banquet operations: the  100-seat Crystal Lounge, the 65-seat Crystal Bar and the Opal Lounge on the executive floor for Hilton HHonors loyalty program members.

The Hilton breakfast is a major component of the hotel’s success, Fitch said, adding that without question the reason it is so successful is the consistency of breakfasts from one property to another.

Igor Shamraychuk

In order to ensure coordination of both their buffet and a la carte breakfast in the Crystal Lounge, Hilton has installed state-of-the-art, induction cooktops.  They worked with Vancouver-based Trimen on this project, and brought in Shamraychuk of Restaurant Makeover fame as a consultant. (And no, the hotel will not be on Restaurant Makeover when and if the show comes back from hiatus.)

“Induction cooking is so wonderful.  It’s an electric system working with magnets on a tempered glass cooktop,” Fitch explained.

The cooktop is cold to the touch, and heats up to the required temperature in a fraction of a second once a metal pot is placed on the cooktop.  Once the pot is removed, the cooktop cools down immediately. “You can boil a pot of water in 90 seconds,” he added.

“At our omelet stations and active cooking stations, we’re not dealing with flames or gas.  Our restaurant buffets and banquet operations run 365 days a year.  We were spending a lot on chafing fuel—the cost was exorbitant and not environmental friendly. It had inconsistent heat and the wastage was high sometimes.

The environmental and energy efficiency benefits, the quality and consistency of induction cooking are leaps and bounds above standard chafers.  Initially you pay more, but the units pay for themselves in six months.”

In the Crystal Lounge, Hilton introduced a refrigeration system set into a granite counter top.  It’s a blow-over cold air curtain, similar to the open units found in supermarkets.  But this one has LED lighting, an aesthetically pleasing sneeze guard and it’s set into a granite countertop.

“Certainly this added to the costs, but now we are able to replace food in a more timely manner,” Fitch said. Instead of very large portions on the buffet table—say three litres of potato salad or a three-foot by three-foot meat tray—they can have reduced platter sizes which give a linear look that is aesthetically pleasing and allows for more creative presentation, and prevents food from spoiling.

And the food? Hilton has put a new spin on sliders, filling them with pulled pork with a spicy Zinfandel-based barbecue sauce with horseradish in a “crisp, herb-infused bun with deep-fried celery root and sea salt” for $9.  And, Fitch adds, their flatbreads are a wonderful hit.  For example, fungi flatbread consists of crimini, chanterelles and shiitake mushrooms, with a touch of truffle oil and Raclette cheese from Qualicum Cheese on Vancouver Island. The cost is $9.50.

See also Diary of a Makeover at the Hilton Metrotown.