CinCin Ristorante + Bar: Dine Out 2019

Dine Out Vancouver is a food festival with over 200 participating restaurants that offer 3-course menus at different price points: $15/$25/$35/$45. It’s a fun way to try different restaurants in Vancouver that you may not normally go to.

The first Dine Out we went to was CinCin Ristorante + Bar, a fancy Italian restaurant on Robson street in downtown Vancouver. In the past, I’ve heard people say that CinCin is one of the most expensive restaurants in Vancouver. This is why I haven’t ever eaten at CinCin before, but I decided to give it a try with Dine Out.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Robson Street is a busy shopping street with stores on both sides of the road. To get to CinCin, you go up a nice winding staircase up to the second floor, where the restaurant is situated on top of retailers.

Inside, the restaurant gives off strong Italian vibes with a random statue of the male body (the penis is chopped off). Cobblestone pattern floors, reddish-brown walls, lots of candles and big round tables with white table clothes greet you when you enter.

Our table was on the balcony and because it’s winter now in Vancouver, there were plastic covers to keep out the rain. It was still warm and cozy on the balcony with intimate tables.

CinCin’s Dine Out 2019 $45 menu is as follows (you choose one of the following for each category):

Appetizers

We started off with some complimentary bread with olive oil and something we are not sure of. It tasted like pickled vegetables and paired nicely with the bread.

For appetizers, we chose the parsnip soup and jamon croquetas.

The parsnip soup was creamy and rich, with smoked cauliflower and curry infused oil. It was served in a thin bowl (more like a plate) which may seem like it’s not that much at first, but it was satisfying.

The jamon croquetas are basically ham croquettes, Italian style. They were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a very yummy arugula and salsa rossa picante.

Entrees

For entrees, we chose the beef striploin and the orecchiete al ragu.

The striploin was quite a big piece and came with olive oil mash, winter roots, grilled broccolini and a salsa verde. The salsa verde was a bit too sour for me, but all in all it was just a nice steak. Sometimes I feel like we choose steak because of value for price, but there isn’t really anything special about steak.

The orecchiete al ragu is a round pasta with 6 hour braised beef mixed in. The portion size was large for pasta and it tasted like a fancy chef boyardee.

Desserts

For desserts, we both chose the yogurt pannacotta.

The pannacotta came with pistachio namelaka and oranges two ways – in foam and in little fruit chunks. The dessert tasted well-balanced and it was interesting to try different combinations with the pannacotta. The orange foam was slightly sour and had an interesting texture with the smooth pannacotta. The orange fruit was tangy and sour. The pistachio was my favourite combination and gave it a nutty and savoury taste.

Final thoughts

Our total come to around $150 for 2 people, including a glass of wine ($14) and a cocktail ($15), as well as tax and tip.

My experience at CinCin was very positive, from the ambience and environment to the service we received. The food was delicious with the dessert being my highlight. We took a look at their regular menu and found that their prices are not completely unaffordable so we may return on a normal day.

Sincerely, Loewe