industries

Power Lunch: CinCin

Take business to lunch, just like they do in Italy, at Vancouver's CinCin.

By Sarah Fullbrook /

CinCin Vancouver | BCBusiness
CinCin’s contemporary Italian menu keeps business people, and celebrities, coming back for more in downtown Vancouver.

Take business to lunch, just like they do in Italy

Vancouver’s Robson Street may not be the first neighbourhood that springs to mind when you’re looking for a place to impress a client or colleague over a meal, but it should be. That’s where CinCin has been wowing locals—and, yes, tourists—for 13 years. With tables adorned with white linens, its floors with Roman statues and the walls with lavish murals, the vibe inside is decidedly Tuscan. Most importantly, the service is impeccable, the fare is memorable and the cellar is packed with fine Italian wine (cincin.net).

BEST TABLE When you need Vancouver’s legendary patio ambiance, CinCin delivers with its enclosed terrace two storeys above street level. It’s quiet enough to hold a conversation (read: make a deal) and heaters keep the tables filled year round, so reservations are a must.

DRINK UP Since CinCin specializes in Italian wines your first choice should be a bottle from the boot. Ask your server to suggest a pairing for your order. Note that the 2008 Monte Antico ($39) offers a tantalizing taste of Tuscany when paired with a simple margherita pizza.

MUST-TRY ORDER It is imperative to order something that’s been cooked in the open kitchen’s impressive wood-burning oven, where smouldering alder is responsible for the intense smoky flavour found in meat and seafood dishes, as well as CinCin’s famous Neapolitan-style pizza.

INSIDER TIP Can’t pull off the never-ending Friday lunch every day? Tell your server you have time constraints and CinCin guarantees to have you in and out in 30 minutes. Dinner regulars will find that the lunch menu boasts items they may not have tried, including distinct pizza options.

 

Tofino Ucluelet Culinary Guild

The end of the road for over-priced food

The towns of Tofino and Ucluelet aren’t just pretty, they’re problem solvers.

“Shipping to the end of the road can be an issue,” says Bobby Lax, community food coordinator for the non-profit Tofino Ucluelet Culinary Guild (TUCG), which partners almost exclusively with Vancouver Island and Okanagan suppliers, farmers, fishermen and foragers to bring fresh product to the restaurants, resorts and residents of the two West Coast outposts predominantly between April and October each year.

Coastal restaurants, says Lax, were paying markups up to 30 per cent on deliveries from small suppliers. That they didn’t have the buying power to demand wholesale prices was compounding the cost. Through TUCG, shipping has been consolidated; instead of restaurants each paying a $50 delivery charge on orders, the guild pays $60 to $90 for a combined delivery.

“One of the biggest surprises,” says Lax, “is we now have about 70 consumers and their families who have access to wholesale through us.” —Kate MacLennan