Sara W.
Yelp
Wednesday was my first time at CinCin and I was blown away! Perhaps because it was a weeknight or because they've only recently re-opened after shutting down dine-in services due to COVID-19, but I got the entire back half of the restaurant all to myself! From my table, I had a vantage point of basically the entire restaurant, including the kitchen, so I really got to soak in the ambiance. Service was excellent; the staff were super attentive and, at the same time, I never felt rushed.
The food was incredible. Given CinCin's location and the amount of food on each plate, I would say everything here was quite affordable! My table ordered the zucchini blossom fritti, beet salad, and crispy fried Humboldt squid appetizers; as well as the tortellini and scallop linguine pomodoro for main courses and tiramisu and chocolate torte for dessert.
Out of the three appetizers, the beet salad was definitely my favourite. The dish was so visually stunning with the two types of beets (golden and chioggia), topped with greens and edible flowers and dotted with morsels of whipped ricotta and pistachios; and it tasted as amazing as it looked. The orange vinaigrette added an extra punch of freshness, without overpowering the dish. I could eat that salad again and again all summer!
Both the main dishes were exceptional. I have no criticism on the food itself, but I will say that when compared to the size of the appetizers and desserts, the pasta portions were a slight letdown. The large size of the tortellini cost me $29 and there were seven on the plate. One or two more would have been nice. Honestly though, I'm nitpicking here.
Desserts were huge...I'm pretty sure the tiramisu was equivalent to the size of my head! The layers of coffee mascarpone were super thick, which meant I had a caffeine buzz that lasted well into the night (as a post-secondary student, I'm used to late nights studying or working on assignments, so being wide awake past 2 am didn't bother me). If you're a chocolate lover, you definitely need to have CinCin's chocolate torte. The outside was crunchy, reminiscent of a Haagen Dazs bar, while the mousse-like texture on the inside made for a decadent mouthful of chocolatey goodness. All the accompaniments, particularly the salted caramel ice cream, helped cut through the richness of the torte. I was super impressed!
My time at CinCin felt extremely special. Who knew fine dining experiences could be elevated even more during a pandemic!