I'm very excited to be back for another year of Dine Out Vancouver. The first DOV 2009 was at CinCin Ristorante. This year I did some more research on restaurants that I was interested in and heard good things about CinCin. Dining with a bit of an expectation, the restaurant didn't disappoint me.
On Food
Overall the food was tasty. Of all dishes, the soup was a bit too salty for my liking. And I realized the seasoning sometimes was a hit-and-miss thing. My terrina reminded me of spam. It was rather mild in flavour, except for that one bite of which I thought I just threw a pinch of salt in my mouth!! The same happened when I had my swordfish. Now that, I wasn't too impressed. On the other hand, the veal was braised very nicely and the swordfish was still moist. The desserts were not bad, but nothing really wow'ed me.
On Presentation
Presentation of the dishes was rather simple. It's not so much of a complaint, though, as I noticed this is how other restaurants have been handling their food presentation. The extra touch with the sauces certainly made the desserts more fun to eat.
On Environment
I like the restaurant decor. It is one of the higher-end restaurants but the interior reminds me of a small Italian eatery in the country side - there's a somewhat rustic touch to it. Perhaps they wanted to accommodate more customers at the same time, the tables were placed rather close to each other that some customers may be rubbing shoulders as they eat (OK, maybe not THAT close, but it's rather tight in space).
On View
In the summer time, the patio will definitely do its wonder by adding a bit of a Robson street view to the diner's menu!
On Service
I'm very impressed by the service. In fact, I was just amazed by how many staff they had that evening. Nothing is worse than an under-staffed restaurant on a busy day! My server was very attentive, checking back often but not being intrusive. She's definitely following the right serving etiquette and that made my dining experience much more enjoyable.
CinCin Ristorante
Food: 8.5
Presentation: 8
Environment: 8.5
View: 7.5
Service: 9
Overall: 8.3
Photos
Bread & Olive Tapenade
Cocktail: Sophisticato
Appetizer: Cioppino, Fish and shellfish soup with tomato, saffron and fennel
Appetizer: Porchetta and Pistachio Terrina with aged balsamic, frisee salad
Entree: Veal Osso Buco with white romano bean, soffrito and chianti sauce
Entree: Wood Fired Grilled Swordfish with organic carrot and celeriac, potato gnocchi
Dessert: Black Forest Cake with cherry sauce and meringue
Dessert: Tiramisu in a candy snap basket
Dessert: Apple Tarte with vanilla ice-cream
Restaurant decor
Restaurant decor
