Eileen of @misseileensoo and I were having a mini staycation the week of Chinese New Year, using it as a reason to escape every day life with an over night stay at downtown Vancouver’s Shangri-la. And seeing as we were already on the property, we decided to have dinner at the newest facelift of their restaurant: Carlino
Whereas previously, they were an Italian Asian fusion concept with very creative plates, they are now focusing solely on Italian cuisine with traditional dishes as well as more unique options. Although I was a fan on the predecessor: Main Tiao, I can see the logic behind this reincarnation. Being attached to a hotel property sets up expectations. You want to represent the establishment, while catering to a large demographic of traveling and local clientele. Whereas a plant-heavy, fusion menu may not have resonated with many, Italian is familiar and comforting for most. The honest truth is I preferred Mian Tiao, for my personal tastes, but can see Carlino doing much better in the space, for much longer.
They didn’t need to do much redecorating, the space is as I remembered it. Curios of glassware as you entered, marigold yellow booths against black and white checkerboard floors, even the family photos from childhood in Asia was left framed up on the walls.
And best of all the bar manager stayed the same, but has revamped his menu to better suit the new concept. I liked them before and wanted to confirm I still liked them now. And I did this successfully.
The Aradia features Fennel infused tequila, ginger, lime, strega herbal liquor, and clarified pineapple. It drank as our server explained it: a spicy margarita pineapple. A nice refreshing zest that ends in a back of the throat warming sweetness.
The Artemisia was a mix of Tequila blanco, lemon & basil nectar, lime, grapefruit, and genepi. Although a handsome glass, it didn’t stay at our table for long, as it wasn’t the actual cocktail Eileen wanted. There was a confusion between the server and her and the wrong drink came our way. The staff was nice about taking it back and making her the one she actually wanted below.
Visually, Eileen definitely preferred the floral-focused La Dolce Vita with Gin, lemon juice, hibiscus infused limoncello, and prosecco. The detail in ornamental aesthetics was impressive.
As for food, the menu was a one sheet-er that changes daily, with new items being added and substitutions being made.
We had to order the Venison Crudo, as it came recommended from fellow food blogger and good friend, David of @pickydiner fame. He declared this one of the 10 best things he had in 2021. Although I was disappointed by the first of his ten I tried, I was still optimistic about this one. It is basically raw game meat seasoned in fermented chilli, grana padano, and golden yolk. You use the endives on the side as edible spoons, and scoop up how much you want. There was plenty of crudo so you can be generous. We ate our fill and still had to debate on who was gonna eat the last one, as we were both full, but liked it enough to not let it go to waste. We ended up sharing. On first blush it tastes like pepperoni with a peppery back of throat spice to linger on. In general it was well seasoned, done with the right amount of spice for a good kick that would offset the watery, more neutral endive leaves. It was definitely a impressive start to the meal that opened up our palettes and increased our expectations for the rest of our meal to come.
We each ordered and entree and shared with the other. Eileen was sold on the Cjarsons based on our server’s recommendation and the visuals of it. As per Wikipedia, “ Cjarsons is a traditional Italian dish originating from Friuli. The dish consists of stuffed pasta that’s similar to ravioli.” Carlino’s version featured beets and poppy seeds, with house made smoked ricotta. The pasta was tender and fresh, the quality of its preparation shone though. Though the dish ate very ham forward. Its strength was thankfully balanced with the sweetness from the poppy seed dressing.
I went for familiar and comforting today, a large stray away from my normal tendency to order the weird and wacky, with the promise that I will try it so that you don’t have to.
I went with the Ricotta Gnocchi with Venison and wild mushroom ragu, checking first to make sure the venison here would not be similar to the version we had above. It ate more heavier like a stew and there was plenty of meat. I wanted more gnocchi for even a 2:1 ratio. Without more of their fluffy potato pillows as a base, the woodyness of the mushrooms overwhelmed, and the ragu was on the saltier side.
Eaten together, in conjunction with bites back and forth; both pastas worked. As a whole dish it was a lot of dense, one toned flavour to get through. You do tire of the taste. So either share like we did, or get some sides to help break things up. A pickling or something tangy to refresh and restart you palette with.
Overall the food was good, you could tell quality and care was put into the execution. However, as good at it was, the price did have me second guessing my order. It must be the ingredient make up to have each pasta dish retailing for $30.
We were too stuffed to order dessert, but they did offer a complimentary bite of a chewy and sugary sweet ginger and molasses cookie. It was a thoughtful aperitif. That and the inclusion of a playing card with the bill. Apparently this is a tradition. Sadly our server didn’t have the time to explain its significance fully. So if you know, let me know.
In conclusion a solid restaurant to service the Hotel’s visitors, while offering authentic cuisine that caters to a larger populous. Dressy and fun, it would not be my first choice for pasta. Although I will definitely need to come back to try their other entrees, as based on the appetizers, their talents lie in meat and vegetable dishes.
Carlino Restaurant
1115 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A5
(604) 695-1115
carlinorestaurant.com
