Vikas Sharma

As part of the “digging in” to the restaurant scene here in Vancouver, there were a ton of recommendations.

One that came up was Cin Cin. I didn’t know anything about the place, but as we started making our way over, I was skeptical because of the location (on Lower Robson).

I was thinking “oh great, this is going to be a tourist trap,” and that thought flourished when I saw that it was above some retail spot on Robson and a few doors down from the Cactus Club. I thought that this is going to be a disaster.

And then we walked in. Classic mid 80’s or early 90’s decor (see photos below). I was expecting to see Al Pacino in a white suit and Giorgio Moroder being piped into the dining room.

It reminded of the old Centro in mid-town Toronto. Very traditional Italian from a certain era … with the dark wood furniture and white tablecloths, but it was very well maintained, clean, and the staff were exceptional.

I saw a lot of wine out, stored all over the restaurant, so I made the assumption that the wine wasn’t going to be served at the right temperature; I was definitely wrong.

Our selection was a half-litre of Vietti Perbacco (Nebbiolo) from one of my favourite appellations in Piedmonte, Langhe. It was perfect: well-structured, opened up nicely, good tannins, some berry fruit, but with aged flavour notes (tobacco, dried fruit).

Per usual, we tried to order as much as we could on the menu. And what I liked was that the portions weren’t large. As a matter of fact, they offered small sizes on their pastas.

To start, we ordered the squid, burrata, and a salad (I don’t remember which one, to be honest).

The squid was served in an eastern Mediterranean style, fried, with chick peas, tahini, arugula, fennel, lemon and olive oil. Nice and light. Also loved the burrata (Pugliese), served on a salad of orange, lemon, endive, hazelnuts, olive oil, and parmigiano reggiano.

Our mains were both quite nice. Linguine pomodoro with wood grilled scallops, and a wild musroom risotto.

I think the best way to describe the food at Cin Cin is “fine.” And I mean that in the “for those of the erudite persuasion,” way.

Just the right amount of tasty food. Good wine. Very good service, in that several people are overseeing your table and making sure that everything is just right.

My date usually orders Tiramisu when we’re at an Italian joint, and this was no exception; it was a solid offering.

The coffees were nice … and they offered petits fours on the house.

Overall, very good experience.

Return: Yes, but only to try a new menu. And I would certainly recommend.

Rating: 7/10