Fiorino Italian Street Food, a hidden gem Italian eatery in the heart of Chinatown, just launched their new fall/winter menu! They also recently celebrated their two year anniversary and second as it celebrates Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand award! The new Cena (dinner) sharing menu is designed to be served family style and features Italian fare from several regions. Fiorino is one my favourite spots for Italian food, and I am so happy to see that them being recognized by Michelin. Whether you are here for lunch, happy hour or dinner – everything will be sure to impress. Check out my full dinner review below!
Fiorino Italian Street Food – Appetizers
To start off the night we had a few appetizers:
- Pane Casalingo ($9.00)
- Insalata Caterina ($18.00)
- Cipolle Ripiene ($18.00)
No meal is complete (in my opinion), without bread. So we had to get the Pane Casalingo. This is their house baked bread served with Tuscan olive oil and aged balsamic. The bread is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. It pairs lovely with the fruity olive oil!
The Insalata Caterina features charred treviso and radicchio salad, pecorino Toscano dressing and candied pistachios. This salad hits all the right notes – bright, acidic, sweet and salty. It is such an addictive salad and the radicchio adds just the right touch of bitterness to balance out the entire salad.
The Cipolle Ripiene features pork and mascarpone stuffed onions, sherry cipollini sauce, fried leeks and bread crumbs. The meatballs are perfectly done – super moist and juicy. The onions are nice and sweet and the fried leeks and bread crumbs adds a great crunch.
The Coccoli e Prosciutto is another must order dish here. I didn’t get it this time (to save stomach space to try new things), but I have had it previously and it is a signature item. It features deep fried dough, 18 month Prosciutto di Parma and whipped stracchino cheese. It is also a Vancouver Fall Food Festival feature item and it’s definitely worth checking out!
Fiorino Italian Street Food – Mains
For our mains we went with:
- Pappardelle Ripiene ($38.00)
- Polpo e Maiale ($29.00)
The star of the night for me has to be the Pappardelle Ripiene. This dish features wild mushroom and Taleggio stuffed pappardelle, locally foraged wild mushrooms, roast garlic and marsala mushroom sauce, black truffle. This stunning pasta dish comes to the table with three large ‘flower’ pasta rolls. It’s such a stunning presentation and the flavour is just incredible! The mushroom and truffle falvours really come through.
The Polpo e Maiale features Mediterranean Sea octopus, pork belly, carrot puree, fingerling potato and crispy pork skin. The octopus was so tender and the pork belly was melt in my mouth tender. This wouldn’t be a dish I would order based on the description, but I really like it! The carrot puree adds a touch of sweetness to the dish and the crispy pork skin balances out all the soft textures.
Fiorino Italian Street Food – Dessert and Cocktails
No visit to an Italian restaurant is complete without ending with Tiramisu. The tiramisu here features traditional mascarpone crema, espresso and cherries. It’s not too sweet and the perfect end to a very delicious dinner.
Throughout dinner we indulged in a few cocktails:
- Negroni Rosa – Malfy grapefruit gin, white vermouth, Starlino Aperitivo
- Hugo – elderflower liqueur, prosecco, lime, mint, soda water
- Lavanda e Vaniglia – lavender Vodka, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Galliano vanilla liqueur, earl grey tea, lemon juice, vegan miracle foamer
All the cocktails we had were well balanced and delicious! I really enjoy the cocktail list here, in particular their extensive Negroni selection!
Worth a Try?
Absolutely! The food, the service and the atmosphere was all top notch. The food was incredible, and their new dinner menu was excellent. In particular I really enjoyed their cocktails and I will definitely be back soon!
Additionally, as part of their second anniversary celebrations, Fiorino will be highlighting noteworthy Italian wines by offering special vintages by the glass every Wednesday night. Wines by the glass will include at least one of the following each week: Altesino Brunello, Elio Altare Nebbiolo, Castello del Terriccio Tassinaia. Also on Wednesdays, one select bottle will be available at half-price, with suck wines as: Chianti Classico (was $82, for $41), St. Michael Eppan Pinot Noir (was $96, for $48), and Tolloy Pinot Grigio (was $75, for $37.50).
Fiorino Italian Street Food
Address: 212 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7
Website: http://fiorinovancouver.com/