Four Rivers

Something all too prevalent these days is firms - including those in hospitality - treating their customers disrespectfully. By this, we mean those in customer service, front-of-house, or whatever, whether by dictate or otherwise, frequently confusing friendliness with acting-as-if-I-am-your-friend.

Emotional labour is a tough business, which is why there were once (in certain times and places) widely-observed tacit social rules to protect both such workers and customers from the pitfalls of insincerity, rudeness, awkwardness from both parties. Underlying these rules and their concern for mutual respect was the avoidance of servility on one hand or over-familiarity on the other. Or put otherwise, we will treat each other in a friendly (rather than hostile or contemptuous manner), rather than affecting that we are in fact friends (and thus implying a degree of intimacy), or masters-and-servants.

Four Rivers in Dickson seem to have got this balance refreshingly perfectly. On a visit earlier this week we were made to feel, among all possible emotions, precisely welcome. A restaurant on Challis Street (further down from Bollywood Dimensions) in the Szechuan tradition, we enjoyed an excellent Mapo tofu and a less memorable (but still OK) five-spiced duck pancake dish. The menu is extensive (and contains a couple of pages of detailed explanation of the cuisine), and generally well priced for the Inner North middle-class and Chinese students types who make up the clientele. For entrees, we had some average spring rolls but delicious crispy shallot pancakes. The only thing perhaps detracting from the cosiness was the interior fitout - which at the end of the evening still felt like a partially disguised commercial unit shell. Overall though, definitely worth a look.