CinCin

1154 Robson StreetVancouver, BC V6E 1B5



Vancouver sure does have its fair share of italian places. And you know I'm not the biggest fan of italian. (carbs! NO you evil doers!!! BACK!) But ever since I can remember, I've heard about CinCin's and for some reason, I've never been there to eat before...could have been because of the high price range but i digress...

I've heard good and bad about this celebrity magnet (yes...apprently, this is the place to go to, to get your famous-faces-fix) but I thought it was all hype. I never did have an urge to go there, thinking (and hearing) that it was overrated. But after years of shunning the place, curiosity finally got the best of me and I was able to con a friend from out of town to take me there (Thanks Pat! ;) and get my mom to take me and Richard out for a "simple" dinner . I did have high expectations though, even if my preconceived notion was that this place is overrated. I mean this place has become an institution in the Vancouver culinary scene. It's been around for like...FOREVER and...well it's famous! So i was hoping not to be disappointed.

Tuck between Zefferelli's and a currency exchange place, the entrance to CinCin is pretty unassuming. But once you make your way up the stairs, it's like you're transported from the busy street of Robson into an Italian villa. The room just oozes old world medditerranean flavour. The decor definatly wants to remind people they are in an italian restaurant...but not just Mario's pizzaria or anything...you have entered the world of Cristiano's tuscan vinyard! You know that movie "Under the Tuscan Sun?" with Diane Lane? Yeah...this place looks like that! A curved marble bar and stone walls adorned with art makes CinCin just a really comfortable place to enjoy a nice meal. The restaurant has a heated patio so you can people watch while you're enjoying your meal, but what I really liked was the open kitchen. You can see exactly what the cooks are doing in there and you can watch as they but their food into their great big wood fire oven.
From the greeters at the door to the wait staff, the service is pretty spot on. I mean it's not the warmest, greatest servers but definatly not bad. And the food....well...i am very glad to say, that I was very wrong in thinking that it's overrated! It was delicious! On my first visit, we started off with a shared anti-pasto plate, which was definatly good for the two of us. I had this fish (Halibut i think) and it was just perfect! I love fish and I always order it at a restaurant and this was really really good! CinCin received an honorable mention from the 18th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant awards and so I just had to see what they had to offer. So I ordered an apple tart dessert served with house-made gelato and it was divine!!! Anything with apples and tart is good for me but this was just really really really good! :D
During my second visit, we started off with 2 appies-the scallops and....oh something else. But it was soooooo yummy! We clared both our plates! For the mains, I'm pretty sure I got the fish again but maybe a sablefish? My mom got the lamb and Richard ordered the risotto. No one had any complaints! The lamb was superb and it was a good sized portion too!!! Richard's risotto was cheesy and creamy and he said he enjoyed it very much!
Now the down side of CinCin is that it is EXPENSIVE!!! yeah...quite expensive! Main courses run from about $22 for a pizza to $43 for a tenderloin. So definatly try to scam the parents (or anyone else!) to take you or save it for a special occasion. But the food is definatly worth it and if you live in Vancouver, I would say you definatly have to try this place out. It is just a great dining experience and i promise you your taste buds will not be disappointed!