Cibo Trattoria

Cibo Trattoria is yet another restaurant I've not been back to for quite some time.  I know in the meantime, there have been a few changes including the head chef.  Currently, they have one that is from Naples, which gives the restaurant some legitimacy.  However, we all know, it doesn't really matter where someone is from, rather, it is how they cook.  We stopped by for an early dinner before heading over to the Orpheum for some music from the VSO.

To get things started, we had a bunch of appies including the Focaccia and Burrata.  Extremely fluffy with a slightly crispy exterior, the focaccia was only okay for me.   I wished I had some more inherent flavour from the bread before I dipped it into the EVOO and balsamic.  As for the burrata, it was served with prosciutto.  I thought the burrata was fresh as it was still creamy in the middle and not runny.

Really enjoyed the appetizer that I selected, which was the Grilled Humboldt Squid.  This was a generous piece where it was a bit smoky from the grill.  Loved the colour on it.  It had an initial squishy chew to it, but gave way tenderness.  It was properly seasoned and it rested a tangy arugula and chickpea salad.  Some salsa verde added more brightness and seasoning.

Viv went for the Seared Ahi Tuna atop an orange fennel salad.  Evenly seared on each side, the ahi tuna was soft, but a bit meaty at the same time.  I wished there was some salt atop the tuna, but the citrus vinaigrette was plenty punchy to make things bright and tangy.  More sweetness and crunch was added by the fennel and orange slices.

For our mains, we had a couple of pastas including the Linguine with Sea Scallops.  The fresh pasta was prepared firmly al dente and had a good chew to it.  Really great mouth-feel and completely fragrant from the saffron.  The creaminess of the sauce held on tightly with the pasta without having a big pool of it on the bottom of the plate.  Scallops were nicely seared and slightly rare in the middle.

With an abundance of meat sauce, the Tagliatelle al Ragu was my favourite dish.  Just like the previous pasta, the tagliatelle was fresh and cooked until barely tender.  There was a firmness to it that added texture and a robust quality to the dish.  That was completely aided by the rich ragu where the meat was super tender while taking on the sweetness of the veggies.  Super delicious.

In addition to the pastas, we also the Asparagus Risotto.  There was an option to add scallops, but since we already had them, we had it as it came.  Honestly, the dish didn't need it as it was plenty rich and cheesy with al dente grains of arborio rice.  The risotto spread on the plate and that was our first indication of proper execution.  Moreover, the distinct flavour of asparagus emanated from the risotto.

Although the Roasted Duck Breast was cooked to medium-rare where it was tender and juicy, the skin was a real miss.  It was flabby and not crispy.  Hence, it was chewy and frankly, unappealing.  Really too bad as the meat was perfect.  Furthermore, the amarena cherry jus provided the delicious sweet & tangy compliment to the duck.

Our meal then transitioned to dessert with the classic Tiramisu.  This was textbook with soft espresso-soaked lady fingers as well as some liqueur.  The mascarpone cream was light and mildly sweet.  With a dusting of cocoa powder on top, we had some chocolaty goodness.  Solid tiramisu.

The other dessert we had was the Vanilla Bean Pannacotta.  This was also quite good where the pannacotta set properly but was not too gelatinized.  Hence, it was creamy and light.  Sweetness was measured and the fresh strawberries added brightness and sweet tang (pretty great even though they were not really in season yet).  Overall, the meal at Cibo was beyond solid.  Sure, somethings could've been better, but the new chef knows what they are doing with the pastas and the risotto.  Would come back.

The Good:

- Solid pastas and risotto

- Well-portioned

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Duck skin was not great

Folietta

I've always been a fan of the family of restaurants run by the Wentworth Hospitality Group.  These include Tableau, Maxine's and Homer St Cafe.  So when I heard they opened Folietta Italian restaurant out on Nanaimo Street, I was anxious to try it out.  Turns out that Viv beat me to the punch and went for their Happy Hour first.  With positive feedback, I decided to book it for my mom's birthday dinner.  Since it was an early reservation, we were able to order some items off the Happy Hour menu as well.

As such, I ordered quite a few things off of that menu including the Focaccia with Ricotta.  We enjoyed the creaminess of the ricotta combined with the black truffle and olive oil.  The flavours were not strong but definitely there to provide some aromatics.  The focaccia itself had a firm crispy exterior giving way to a softer almost airy interior.  We also ordered a plain focaccia with EVOO and balsamic.  That was great with the pastas.

Also part of the happy hour menu, the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio was sliced paper-thin.  As such it was also super buttery and tender.  The fact there was only a modest amount of fat helped its cause as too much would make it chewy.  On top, we found pickled mushroom, bagna cauda, smoked egg yolk and shaved reggiano.  The combined flavours resulted in acidity, brininess and nuttiness.  Didn't get a lot of smokiness from the egg yolk though, but loved the texture.

When Viv suggested we go for the Insalata Mista, I thought she was joking.  When she pointed out that there was cubes of salumi and crispy pieces too, I was sold.  That itself gave the salad plenty of robust saltiness to compliment the tanginess of the dressing and the pickled peppers/olives.  Greens were crisp and fresh while the generous amount of sharp provolone afforded extra body to the salad.

From salad to all meat, we had the Polpette e Sugo.  These meatballs consisted of veal and pork.  They were soft and moist with an almost fluffy texture, but while retaining a certain meatiness.  The slow-roasted sugo was bright and very tomatoey.  Nice tanginess and balancing sweetness.  That toasted focaccia was great with the sauce as it had a smoky crispiness.

Up until this point, the appies were quite good, yet the Calamaro was my favourite.  Each strip of Humboldt squid was soft and tender while having a slight chew.  Exterior was crispy and light as the coating wasn't too thick.  Yet what really made this dish was the Puttanesca underneath.  It was intensely flavourful with hits of brininess, salty tanginess and slight spice.

Rounding out our appies, that were all from the happy hour menu, was the Parmesan Crocchette.  These were $3.00 per piece.  I thought they were tasty with a crispy shell that revealed a soft and creamy mochi-like texture.  Definitely could taste the salty nuttiness of the parmesan.  With grated prosciutto di parma and reggiano on top, we got an extra hit of saltiness.

Onto our mid-course, we had some pastas including the Bigoli with Venetian duck ragu.  This was absolutely fantastic with firm strands of thick bigoli.  The texture of the pasta held onto the ragu well and each bite was impactful with rich meaty notes and sweetness.  Extra body and nuttiness was provided by the cheese. Loved the texture of the crispy skin pangrattato.

As great as the first pasta was, the Linguine was equally delicious.  It featured Zeke's spot prawns and the briny sweetness combined with the shellfish jus made this pasta memorable.  The natural shellfish flavours created a connection with the prawns.  Quite often, a seafood pasta is disconnected from the components as there is no seafood flavour.  Not the case here.

We moved onto the main dishes starting with the Pollo e Crostone.  As much as its appearance was fantastic, the chicken itself was rather dry.  However, the piece of charred focaccia with garlic jus was super tasty.  On the side, we had the Piselli Grigliati.  I wanted to like the grilled spring peas but they were so limp and overdone, there was no texture left.  On the other hand, the lemon ricotta at the bottom was creamy and tangy.

We weren't a fan of the chicken, but the Maiale was on point.  The spiced pork chop was cooked beautifully where it was slightly pink inside, but fully cooked.  Sporting a cheesy taleggio crust, there was some tanginess already, but the fennel sausage soffritto was money.  It was meaty, salty and tangy.  Really complimented the pork with brightness and umaminess.

Onto the sweets, we only shared 2 because we had a Trafiq cake waiting at home!   With the marscapone crema poured on top table side, the Tiramisu was quite good.  I found the ladyfingers to be soaked until moist while not being mushy.  There was a balanced espresso hit while the marscapone itself was creamy and purposefully sweet.  I thought the presentation was an interesting touch.

The other dessert we had was Dolci al Cioccolato Trio featuring dark chocolate terrine, chocolate salami and chocolate torte.  This was a chocolate lovers dream!  I loved the salami as the pistachios added crunch and nuttiness.  Torte was rich and smooth with an appealing density.  Nice sheen on the ganache in the terrine.  Those candied hazelnuts added crunch.  Overall, our meal at Folietta was good.  I'd skip the chicken and snap peas though.  Service was excellent and we would be open to a return visit.

The Good:

- Loved the pastas

- Lots of selection with the happy hour menu

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- It was busy, so food came out a bit slow

- Skip the chicken and snap peas

La Terraza (Happy Hour)

As mentioned in my previous post, many people are looking for value these days when it comes to dining out.  Hence we see the increasing popularity of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) as well as the veritable Happy Hour.  There are quite a few options in the GVRD with many being at chain restaurants.  However, did you know that a fine dining spot has a rather affordable Happy Hour that features some appealing items?  La Terrazza has been a Yaletown staple since it opened in 1998 and yes, they have a Happy Hour menu from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.  Only 19+ as it is only served in the bar area.

Jackie and I dropped by prior to a concert at Rogers Arena.  We began with the 1/2 Dozen Oysters.  Totally wasn't paying attention to what was the type, but they were definitely Westcoast.  Small like kusshis, these were clean-tasting, a bit briny and pretty sweet.  They were shucked properly with no shell fragments.  Condiments included yuzu pink peppercorn vinaigrette, horseradish, hot sauce and lemon.

Staying with cold, we also had the Chilled Tiger Prawn Cocktail.  These were prepared well being cooked just enough where the bounciness of the prawns were cold-water crunchy.  This was served with a horseradish rose sauce that was tangy and slightly sweet with a bite at the end.  Now if that wasn't your fancy, there was also a seared half-lemon too.

Still with the cold appies, we had the Beef Carpaccio served with a side of freshly-baked fontina flatbread.  This was a competent version where the Angus Reserved beef tenderloin was tender and moist.  Possibly, there could've been a bit more condiments to this, but the black truffle vinaigrette did have impact with its tangy woodsiness.  Loved the flatbread as it was warm and slightly crispy.  Plenty of nuttiness as well.

We moved onto some pastas including the Gnocchi al Forno.  Baked with plenty of mozzarella on top, this was plenty cheesy and robust.  We found the gnocchi to be good where they were soft, but not too much so that there wasn't any texture.  As for the San Marzano tomato sauce, it was nicely balanced where it was naturally sweet with only a bit of tanginess.  Lots of depth and it was bright.

Our favourite dish of this Happy Hour menu was the Strozzapretti Bolognese.  Starting with the pasta, the shaped held onto the sauce effectively.  On top of that, the texture was spot on where it was tender, but had a firm bite as well.  Oh and the bolognese, it was so delicious.  Just slightly creamy, but plenty tomatoey, the cooked down meat was tender and full of umami.  I could eat a few of these myself!

Just to round out our meal, I just had to get the Truffle Parmesan Fries.  Yah, probably other things to order off the menu, but I just love fries!  These were serviceable being crispy and well-salted.  The star of the dish was indeed the truffle aioli.  super creamy and nutty.  Overall, the Happy Hour menu at La Terrazza is a steal in my opinion.  In this economy, it is nice to see we can still have a meal with quality ingredients for an affordable price.  Located in Yaletown too!

The Good:

- Affordable, especially for Downtown

- Lovely setting and service

- High-quality food

The Bad:

- Only in the bar area, so pretty dark and limited in space

Alchemy (Happy Hour)

Considering the state of the economy, dining out is now considered a real luxury (if it wasn't before).  Hence, that is one of the first things that is cut out of people's budgets.  Yet, there are ways to save some money and still dine out - taking advantage of Happy Hour menus.  We've seen many of them including those at chain restaurants such as Cactus Club, Earls and Tap & Barrel.  We also find them at many independent restaurants too and that brought us to Alchemy in Yaletown.  Located at the end of Mainland, it is a bit hidden as compared to the rest of the businesses.

What drew me to their happy hour menu was the fair pricing especially for Yaletown.  We started off with the Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip served in a beautiful tree trunk platter.  Surrounded by multi-coloured tortilla chips, we found a ramekin filled with dip.  They delivered on the promise of cheesy where it was stringy and fairly thick.  Really solid cheese dip and we actually needed more chips to dust it off.

For $15.95, we felt the Beef Carpaccio was a good value.  It came with a large piece of pizza bread that was soft with an appealing chew.  The thinly-sliced beef tenderloin was tender and dressed with arugula, shaved Grana Padano, capers, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  Nice balance of acidity, tang, saltiness and nuttiness.  Solid dish.

One dish that was just okay was the Smoked Salmon Bruschetta.  I'm not even sure if this is on the menu anymore either.  In actuality, there was nothing wrong with the individual components as the crostinis were crunchy, yet not too hard while the tomato and basil mix was tangy, sweet and bright.  I just didn't think it went particularly well with the salmon.

The best deal and also the best thing on the Happy Hour menu in my opinion is the Classic Cheeseburger for $15.95.  Even though it was on special, the burger was still a good size and it included crispy fries.  We found the beef patty to be juicy and tender with a nice sear on the surface.  The tomato and lettuce was fresh and the brioche bun was soft.  Solid burger.

We had one of their pizzas in the form of the Capricciosa with Tomato sauce, mushroom, mozzarella, smoked ham, artichoke, sliced black olives, bocconcini, oregano and grana padano.  This was fully loaded with not only all of the above ingredients, but the amount of cheese was generous.  That meant each slice was meaty, saucy, cheesy and flavourful.  The pizza crust was fairly crispy with a chewy interior.

Another item off the regular menu, we had the Spaghetti Carbonara.  This was also quite good with lots of rendered bacon and nutty parm.  Hence, this was bordering on salty, but didn't go over that line.  Pasta was al dente and was fully coated.  Overall, the food at Alchemy was pretty solid, especially for the price.  Given its Downtown location, the Happy Hour menu is a good value and features some appealing items such as the burger and artichoke dip.  Would come here again.

The Good:

- Well-priced

- Solid eats

- Decent portion sizes

The Bad:

- Location is at the far West end of Yaletown, so far from the action (could be good for some people though)

Restaurant Beba

When perusing Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, I was a bit curious why a little restaurant in Montreal ranked #7 overall.   In fact, they rank #50 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025.  Well, it is a bit unique where their cuisine is a mix of Italian and Spanish while paying homage to the founders Ari and Pablo Schor's Argentine-Jewish hertiage.  Located in Verdun, the area doesn't scream world-class dining, but rest assured, Beba has changed that for the better.  I was able to grab a table for 2 from from the 28-seat capacity restaurant.

When they describe Beba as compact, they are being generous.  Let's just say you will get to cozy with the people beside you.  On that note, the menu is equally compact being truly focused on a few dishes.  We shared the Knish à la pomme de terre to start.  This little fried ball of tender slices of potato, onion and chicken fat that was well-seasoned and rich.  It was aromatic and had the silkiness of schmaltz.  On top, there was a generous dollop of osetra caviar.  This added briny saltiness to the bite.

No meal is complete at Beba without ordering their signature dish - Montadita au maquereau (mackerel).   My initial impressions of this wasn't necessarily great, but hey what do I know?  I'm glad that I kept my mind open because these bites were fantastic.  Served on warm crunchy sesame buns, the mackerel was a bit tangy and exhibiting that bright fishy flavour.  It was perfectly complimented by a lot of butter, grated horseradish, chives and salt.  Somehow, this combination of components just plain worked.  We had the creaminess of the butter, the mild kick of the horseradish (was not as strong as I would've imagined) and the brightness of the chives.

Another show-stopper was the Maitake on raw milk taleggio.  First and foremost, the slightly melted taleggio was creamy, sweet and savoury.  This by itself was already a treat, but on top, we found beautifully sauteed mushrooms that were aggressively salted.  Fortunately, we had a bright and garlicky salsa verde on top that helped cut some of the heaviness of the cheese as well as the saltiness of the mushrooms.  This was an outstanding dish yet, we felt some crispy toast on the bottom would've put it over the top.  Mind you, I'm pretty sure there is a good reason they didn't do that, so what do I know?

Trying to include some vegetables in our meal, we had the Radicchio & Escarole with potatoes.  This was a good interlude between heavier dishes.  The crunch from the fresh greens was great along with the tangy "bean-aigrette".  Lots of pecorino ensured that there was salty nuttiness to go along with the acidity.  We also had some tender chunks of potato to soak up all the flavours.

For our pasta course, we had the Tagliatelle with ragù genovese made with ox tongue.  Gotta say this was really good with chewy noodles that had an appealing firmness to them while still being fully cooked-through.  They were also seasoned well with an inherent balanced saltiness.  As for the ragù, there was a generous amount of tender ox tongue that retained its meatiness.  Rich flavours from the tongue (due to the fat content) and the sweetness of the onion really made this dish sing with umami.  Add in some parm and we had extra saltiness with nutty cheesiness.

Our last savoury items was the Bacalao with clams and peppers in a piperade.  The big piece of salt cod was only a bit salty and plenty tender and flaky.  The piperade was sweet and tangy.  It helped compliment the salt cod by balancing out the saltiness.  There was the faintest hint of spice which varied the flavours.  Add in the buttery clams and we got a touch of brininess too.

We ended up with 2 desserts including the Flan with whipped cream and dulce de leche.  This was one of the richest and thickest flans I've ever had.  They must've really went ham with the cream with this one.  It was good though, since it wasn't too egg-forward and was balanced in terms of sweetness.  That left the dulce de leche to do the heavy lifting in terms of providing that rich and deep caramel vibes.

Our second dessert was pretty darn good too in the Valrhona Chocolate Tart.  It was also rich and dense (but in a good way).  Hits of bitter dark chocolate with aplomb where each bite was impactful and purposeful.  The addition of olive oil and salt only helped heighten theses flavours.  Providing some nutty crunch, we found roasted hazelnuts on top.  So guess what?  I now know why Beba is rated so high in all of these lists.  Mind you, I'm a bit confused as to why some of my favourites spots in Canada rank behind them.  Yet, that doesn't take away that the food is pretty darn tasty.

The Good:

- Delicious

- Generous portions

- It's unique

The Bad:

- Super tight seating (and also hard to get a reso)

- Loved it, but not sure if it should rank that high

Cabaret L'Enfer

After a fabulous 7-course tasting menu at Mastard, we had a second one planned at Cabaret L'Enfer.  Opened by Chef Massimo Piedimonte, Cabaret L'Enfer has the cachet of a semi-finalist on Top Chef (USA) as well as being named to Canada's 100 Best Restaurant list.  He combines his Italian roots with his French training to create striking dishes in his $165.00 tasting menu.  We made our way out to St. Denis with high expectations.

Our meal began with a trio of items including a Bombalone filled with cold cream and topped with lots of truffle.  It was slightly crispy and airy while the filling was custardy with savoury sweetness.  The plethora of truffle add the usual woodsiness.  We also had a crispy discs filled with Chicken Liver Mousse with plenty of pepper and brandy.  That was rather evident with the big booziness of the creamy mousse.  To balance it off, there was some pickled rose petals offering up tanginess.  The last item was the Pâté en Croûte made with beef tongue, pork shoulder and trumpet mushrooms.  Very well-constructed with a firm and almost crispy exterior.  The inside was plenty meaty with different textures and plenty aromatic with umaminess.

Next Course was the Scallop that was lightly cured, then steamed and sliced into 4 pieces.  They were buttery soft and sweet topped with a saffron emulsion.  This added slight creaminess with the unmistakable sweet floral taste of saffron.  There was also a second emulsion of bone marrow as well.  At the bottom of the bowl, we found some gooseberry juice that was almost sour, but a great palate cleanser.  On top, we had a saffron tapioca chip that was crispy and light emitting some lobster vibes due to the saffron.

Our favourite course was the Spinach Pasta with a tomato emulsion made with tomatoes from Chef Massimo's mother's garden.  There was also plenty of basil and it made the dish basil-forward (in a good way).  Lots of herbaceousness combined with the tangy and fresh-tasting tomatoes.  Nice crunch from the bread crumbs underneath.  The pasta itself was al dente with a bouncy chewiness.  It was lovingly embraced by the bright tomato and loads of basil.  As for the shrimp, they were super sweet and delicate.  The side of freshly-baked bread (we saw this happening as we entered the restaurant) was fantastic with an appealing density, sweetness and crispiness on the outside.

Our bluefin tuna consumption has been off the charts here in Montreal and our next course was the the lightly-seared Otoro with saffron sauce.  As with all the bluefin we've had, this hailed from Gaspe and was super fresh.  As with Otoro, it was buttery and fatty with only a bit of chew.  It was bright and since there was a good amount of fat, the true taste of the fish came through with sweetness an umami.  I thought the saffron sauce was equally full of umami and sweetness with its unique floral taste.  There was a bell pepper condiment made with tomato and it was a flavour bomb.  It was probably a bit too strong for the delicate Otoro, but whatever, it was super tangy, salty, sweet and just plain yummy.

Stunningly plated, the Aged Duck marinated in koji was delicious.  It was served with a heavily reduced duck jus made with the duck bones, gooseberry reduction, red wine reduction and a black mushroom puree.  First off, the duck was beautifully medium-rare which meant it was juicy and sufficiently tender.  The skin was well-rendered.  Being aged, the duck was meaty and intensely flavourful.  With a myriad of sauces and compliments, there was a lot going on.  We had the silkiness of the duck jus mixed with the tanginess of the gooseberry and the slight bitterness of the red wine.  As if the umami of the mushroom puree wasn't enough already, we also had a corn puree which was intensely sweet as expected.  To top it off, there was a burnt thyme oil that was smoky and earthy.

Onto the first of our 2 desserts, we had Plums with a roasted yeast crumble and an espuma made from cherry leaves.  Tart and sweet, the plums were a nice way to cleanse the palate upon the end of the savoury course.  Loved the nutty yeast that was also earthy and had a firm crunch.  Creamy and light, the espuma was earthy and pleasant.  When everything combined into one bite, there was a certain harmony going on.

Our last dessert was something they like to call a "Winter Dessert".  It consisted of a dehydrated chip, buckwheat ice cream, dulce de leche and caramelized white chocolate crumble.  Definitely comforting and as they said, great for curling up in a blanket and eating this.  Really nice crunch from the chip and the combination of flavours really worked.  Classic caramel sweetness with a creamy nuttiness from the ice cream.  In the end, we did enjoy the tasting menu at Cabaret L'Enfer.  It was well-executed and featured some appealing ingredients.  The one issue is that the price is double that of Mastard's tasting menu and I didn't think it was better.  Of course that is subjective and only my opinion.  But it can be a determining factor when deciding between the two restaurants.

 

The Good:

- Well-prepared

- Sauces were delicious 

- Wonderful service 

 

The Bad:

- In comparison to other tasting menus in the city, it is one of the more expensive ones

- If you like drink options, they only have wine pairings