Serves: Dinner
Cost: $$$
Experience: ^_^
Decor: Comfortable to Fine dining
Pronounced "Chin-chin", this is one of four sister restaurants that I have had the pleasure of visiting, one after the other, over the two weeks I was in Canada; the others being Araxi, Blue Water Cafe, and West.
It is as elegantly beautiful as the others. In spite of this being touted as an "Italian" (though it turns out it is more of an Italian/Mediterranean) restaurant, after perusing the tasting menu, I gave in and decided to try out their 5-course meal. I had not wanted to become too bloated from a pasta-heavy menu, but between the smaller portions and the mix of non-pasta dishes, I hoped that it would not be terribly heavy.
The bread was warm - excellent. Usually my other pet peeve is if the butter is cold and hard, rather than easily spreadable, but they did not provide butter in this case. Instead, there was a small dish of olive oil and what turned out to be a mound of olives in its center. I usually detest olives, but not only am I willing to give anything another try, but I honestly didn't know what they were until after the first bite. It was a bit of a shock - I doubt I've suddenly begun to not-mind, much less love olives in other circumstances, but it turned out to be a surprisingly good combination to my tongue. I nearly polished off one of the little loaves dipping it solely in the mix.
The tastebuds were then prepped with something which, unfortunately, I am not absolutely certain what the contents were except that there was a mention of Japanese eggplant. It had been an unexpected addition, and thus, I had been unprepared to absorb its details (headhangs). Regardless, it was lovely; light, smooth, a perfect mouthful in both size and taste.
It set a great tone for the first course - their house-marinated swordfish. Other than cold-smoked salmon and the occassional herring appetizer, I have never tried any sort of cured fish. Before I had decided on the tasting menu over the prix fixe, I had been tempted to select the garlic soup over the fish, but now am I ecstatic I didn't - if anyone visits Cincin, the swordfish is a must order. Light, citrusy, with a touch of blood oranges to help take the edge off.
Next course was a mushroom ravioli in a gorgonzola cream sauce. I love mushroom ravioli. I love gorgonzola and cream. I was a little apprehensive, though, at the thought of what traditionally is a "heavy" item...but I was surprised at the lightness of the flavor and the food itself. The sauce was more of a light foam, the cream a hint of after-taste rather than a thick soup to flavor the ravioli. I'm a little disappointed that the mushroom filling did not make much of an impression on me, but in the end, I feel that it is better that it blended into the rest of the dish instead of simply over-powering everything else. The crushed nuts added a nice bit of texture - overall, a thumbs up, though thus far, I feel it the least interesting of the offerings.
The arctic char was beautifully prepared - the flesh moist and tender, while the skin had just the right hint of crispness without becoming tough. One thing I was afraid of with fish prepared this way was saltiness - I usually find these things over-salted to my taste. But it was light in this case - just enough to enhance flavor without being overwhelming. Paired along with the slick, chewy nostrano and the clam jus and chervil sauce - another winner.
The next course was "snuck" in by the chef - it was not included on the original menu I had been presented. A creamy polenta, veal cheek, and a mushroom I recognize more from Chinese cooking than Western: the King Oyster mushroom (which is one of my favorites). Oddly, the mushroom had more "body" to it than the veal; not just in texture (a good thing), but in taste too (not quite as good a thing, but nothing I'm crying over either). The veal was falling-apart tender (best preparation I've ever had) compared to the perfectly-cooked firmness of the mushroom, and this unevenness was only punctuated by the veal's relative blandness on the inside...not to say that it was plain. It had a beautifully flavored exterior, and if there had been more sauce or jus available, a little dipping would have made it perfect. I am rather glad that it leaned on this side though, rather than being over-intense...too much flavor often makes me feel too full, and in this case, I could mix the side flavors to help compensate and balance things out. If it had been too heavy on taste, there would have been nothing I could have done except borne it.
Second to last course was lamb prepared two ways; wood fire grilled lamb saddle and a confit shoulder braised in duck jus, on a bed of spinach with three chestnuts. Again, the tenderness was utterly amazing - the chef is absolutely incredible in preparing meats. However, this dish also had the biggest drawback of the meal - I felt the salt was a little too heavy this time. I've noticed that I tend to eat meals that go lighter on the salt now, so maybe I am sensitized more than the average American, but still, I usually prefer subtlety over punch. Between that and my rapidly filling stomach, I decided to forego the last three bites or so (though not without quite some reluctance).
Another mark of an excellent restaurant - as soon as I mentioned the issue of the salt, not only did the waiter ask for details and pass them on, but the restaurant director came by to get the information straight from the proverbial horse's mouth. They really care about the quality of the experience, and are always interested in fine-tuning things along the way. This chance to give feedback, and the sense that my suggestions are being taken seriously for consideration, more than makes up for any slight deviations from excellence any meal makes, which were very few and slight indeed for CinCin.
And the final course: a chocolate with hazelnut ganache succe, tiramisu, passionfruit mousse rolled in a cake layer...and what I think is a gooseberry (which was really fun to eat, because I have never had it but always looked longingly at in the Granville Market fruit displays). The tiramisu was utterly delightful, and who can say no to chocolate and hazelnut, particularly one that was made as dark and smooth as this? Even the passionfruit mousse, I went through the trouble of picking out of its cake layer (I'm not a big fan of cake textures) because it was so good. The gooseberry was a wonderful accent atop all these tastes - I think the next time, regardless of their cost, I really will have to buy a basket of them from the Granville Market.
I think my one biggest disappointment in this culinary adventure was that I didn't have a chance to eat wood-fired pizzas. They are one of my absolute favorites, but they are definitely filling, and I would rather try out all the other menu items first. Another time, perhaps. It will become a contest to see whether I am tempted away again by other entrees the next time I visit, rather than whether I will visit again.
Some closing remarks on the people - not only were they unfailingly holding up the reputation of their restaurant as elegant and professional, but they had exquisite memories. There were no less than three involved in my meal (beyond the kitchen which was preparing the meals themselves, of course), but each and every one remembered and passed the information around when I had half-jokingly mentioned that I was allergic to alcohol and caffeine put me to sleep (to the traditional question at the beginning of the meal of whether I would like anything to drink). Every time there was even a chance that a meal contained alcohol or caffeine in it (such as used in cooking or, as in the case of the desserts, contained in the coffee/chocolate), the restaurant director came around to warn me of what was in the dish and asked whether I would rather substitute something else.
What an absolutely wonderful experience - definitely one I would like to repeat, particularly with some friends towed along.
