Dining refined

Vancouver restaurant The Refinery invites you to expect a lot from your dining experience

With a name like The Refinery, you might expect one of the newest restaurants to grace the Granville Street strip to have some sugary story behind it. Sure, the old second-storey space has some colourful history, but the new market-style eatery and wine bar is unquestionably future-focused.

The name “really encompasses our theme: refined food, refined wine, refined thinking,” says Peter Raptis, one-third of a trio of managing partners, which include Raymond Staniscia and Ryan Newman.

While the charcuterie concept of serving up plates of the freshest organic and sustainable local meats, cheeses and breads came from Raptis’s travels to Europe, the eco-centric decor came from a career-day visit to his wife’s elementary-school class, where the students quizzed Raptis about his venture’s environmental impact.

Vintage reclaimed fir beams and energy-efficient lighting set the mood from overhead, and the flooring, made of recycled cork-rubber, is equally eco-chic. Smaller tables made of Kirei Board encourage a romantic tête-à-tête, while gregarious groups can gather at the room’s communal table that’s crafted from reclaimed Douglas fir trees – naturally.