Restaurant Review: Carlino — Living La Dolce Vita
Photo courtesy of the author.
At the impressionable age of 16, I went on a school field trip to Tuscany with my schoolmates from Marymount International School — a Catholic school for girls from Kingston upon Thames in London, England. One time, our group stopped by a local trattoria and pizzicheria. It was run and operated by an elderly Italian couple who greeted us with these words: “Buon cibo. Buon vino. Buon amici,” which literally translates to: “Good food. Good wine. Good friends.” Ahh, everything that is needed in life by a 16-year-old girl or a full-grown woman (ok, you can add shoes, pearls, and boys/men to the list, but not necessarily in that order, mind you). Ever since that visit, I’ve been living my lifestyle according to these Italian words of wisdom!
Italian food culture with its Mediterranean saporito (flavours) and amaro (delicious) pastas, pizzas, carni, and antipasti is a way of lifestyle. Whereas French cuisine is known for its Michelin star-worthy culinary delights, the Italian cibo (food) is centred on family, traditions, and comfort culinary delights. Fortunately for us — Vancouverites — we needn’t travel to Italy to indulge in authentic and traditional Italian cuisine. Tripadvisor’s Travellers Choice 2023 “Best of the Best” awards puts Vancouver just one place behind New York and alongside the world’s best food destinations, Rome and Paris!
Carlino’s dining area. Photo courtesy of the author.
One Italian restaurant that’s gaining recognition and rave reviews from local Vancouverites and from the esteemed Michelin Guide is none other than Carlino. According to the Michelin Guide: “It’s only fitting that this verdant sanctuary should be tucked away on a terrace of the Shangri-La Hotel, offering a sense of placid elegance… The menu displays a typically Italian devotion to simplicity, celebrating seasonal produce from local farms.” Thus, my husband and I, together with our closest and dearest friends (my beautiful sisterhood tribe and their hubbies), decided to pay a visit to this new restaurant on the block. Let us share with you all the delicious details, Iniziamo! (Let’s begin!)
Carlino’s entrance/reception area. Photo courtesy of the author.
Ambiente (Ambiance). As soon as you enter the reception area, you will immediately feel as though you’re stepping into the world of Federico Fellini’s famous movie, “La Dolce Vita.” It is a luxurious environment enveloped in romance, drama, intrigue, dark and seductive ambiance promising you a delicious, decadent, and beautiful experience.
Carlino’s bar area. Photo courtesy of the author.
The bar area has a sophisticated aura and serves as the central hub of the whole place; it is full of action and buzz and is fully stacked with sinful pleasures and reeking of positive energy. The dining section opposite the bar gives off exciting and mysterious vibes; it’s definitely where I’d choose to be seated if I were to meet someone for a hot date!
Carlino’s bar/dining area. Photo courtesy of the author.
Carlino’s dining area. Photo courtesy of the author.
The main dining area with its black and white chequered floor complements the dining furniture with the yellow dining sofa and rattan wicker chairs. The lighting is subdued and enticing both during the daytime and nighttime. There’s a nice touch of green foliage dangling from the conservatory ceiling.
Carlino’s dining area. Photo courtesy of the author.
Capo Cuoco (Chef de Cuisine). Carlino’s Chef de Cuisine Omar Hadi is definitely one of Vancouver’s finest and top chefs specializing in Italian cuisine. He has an impressive wealth of experience in the culinary world, having started as a Commis Chef at the Grand Hyatt in Amman, Jordan in 2001. He rose through the ranks as Chef de Partie and eventually as a Sous Chef at the various restaurant locations of the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in England, Texas, and British Columbia from 2003 to 2014. Moving onwards from 2014 to 2016, Chef Omar worked as Restaurant Chef at Market by Jean Georges (which incidentally used to be the original restaurant at the location where Carlino is now).
Carlino’s Chef de Cuisine Omar Hadi. Photo courtesy of the author.
Chef Omar became the Executive Chef for Glowbal Restaurant Group in Vancouver from 2017 to 2021, supervising and heading the kitchens of Glowbal and Black and Blue fine dining restaurants. Prior to becoming Carlino’s Chef de Cuisine, he also spent a short stint as Executive Chef for Pinnacle International and Tutto Italian restaurant in Yaletown.
Chef Omar is known for his clean, genuine, and simple elegance of Italian cooking. He doesn’t smother his Italian dishes with heavy sauces, tons of cheese, and/or lots of herbs and spices; instead, his Italian dishes are mostly light, made from scratch with only the finest and freshest ingredients, which makes it both nutritious and healthy. While Chef Omar may not be of Italian descent, his food definitely tastes, smells, and feels more Italian than any Italian chef in Vancouver, or even Italy for that matter!
The menu was served family style. Photo courtesy of the author.
Perhaps, it’s because Chef Omar nailed down the three important foundations of Italian cooking or the simple cornerstones of Italian cuisine: Odori (translated as scents and a culinary jargon which means: “you season your dish with wonderfully scented vegetable and herbs such as celery, carrots, and onions”); battuto (translated as beaten down and a culinary jargon which means: “combining mixed vegetables such as onions, celery, and carrots which are minced, chopped and beaten with a knife or mezzaluna, a rocking knife”), and soffritto (translated as fried and a culinary jargon which means: “a combination of onions, carrots, and celery that is fried gently in olive oil”).
These three cooking foundations make up the holy trinity in simple Italian cooking — Chef Omar certainly is a Grand Master when it comes to combining these three aromatic ingredients. He uses these ingredients that are usually cooked in either olive oil or butter to release their flavours when he creates sauces, stews, soups, and braises. Allow me to describe to you his various creations from aperitivi, to antipasti, to pasta and dumpling, to secondi e contorni, and to the dolce finale!
Pane Della Casa with virgin olive oil and marinated olives. Photo courtesy of the author.
Aperitivi e Antipasti (Appetizers). For the first course, we were served with Pane della Casa (similar to freshly baked sourdough bread) and marinated olives with a side of virgin olive oil for dipping your bread in. But what tickled our taste buds was the utterly delicious Frico, a traditional Italian dish originating from Carnia, a region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia. It consists of potatoes, Montasio cheese, onions, olive oil, and salt, baked or fried until golden and crisp. Personally, I could eat this all night and by the way, it pairs perfectly well with La Tordera Saomi Prosecco. The appetizers were served family style.
Delicious Frico! Photo courtesy of the author.
Excellent La Tordera Saomi Prosecco — a formidable aperitif with fragrances of pear, white peach and lemongrass. It wakes up the mouth with its refreshing freshness. Photo courtesy of the author.
Next, we were treated to Leaves & Herbs Salad, which was a refreshing mix of local greens, with lemon extra virgin olive oil dressing. It was perfect after indulging in Frico, the fried potatoes. We also shared Prosciutto Duo with alpine butter, gherkin, and spiced rye crisp. The prosciutto was flavorful, delicately sweet and salty — a perfect balance of taste!
Leaves and Herbs salad. Photo courtesy of the author.
Prosciutto Duo. Photo courtesy of the author.
We were impressed with the roasted scallops swimming in parsley, garlic, butter & lemon sauce. The sauce was the kind of sauce that you wanted to dip your bread in non-stop! We paired these delectable antipasti with Carlino’s signature cocktail drink, the aptly called “La Dolce Vita” — an enjoyable concoction of gin, lemon juice, hibiscus-infused limoncello, and prosecco.
Roasted scallops. Photo courtesy of the author.
Carlino’s signature cocktail: La Dolce Vita. Photo courtesy of the author.
Pasta and Dumpling course. After the appetizers, we feasted on three different kinds of freshly made pasta. Chef Omar’s Rigatoni with his house ragu pasta sauce was so divine and is the classic example of an excellent soffritto — it has tender meat and minced elements such as minced carrot, celery, and pancetta.
Rigatoni with house ragu sauce. Photo courtesy of the author.
Then, there’s the Bigoli Nero (squid ink) pasta with clams in white wine and butter sauce which has a firm and slightly chewy texture that has a bounce to it when chewed. That’s the texture of a great pasta! The Bigoli is cooked perfectly Al dente and the subtle combination of butter and white wine sauce just makes you want to have a second serving or even a third! The sauce wasn’t overpowering at all; it was light and went well with the fresh clams.
Bigoli Nero with clams, white wine and butter sauce. Photo courtesy of the author.
The Cjarsons pasta with wild greens, potato, and smoked ricotta has unique and complex flavours. Cjarsons are an ancient traditional filled pasta from Friuli, particularly the Alpine region of Carnia. The pasta itself is similar to ravioli and gnocchi but made from fresh potatoes. The sauce was delightfully creamy and cheesy. Yum!
Cjarsons with wild greens, potato and ricotta. Photo courtesy of the author.
Secondi e Contorni (Main Course). The main event was all worth waiting for! We absolutely loved the Whole Roast Holstein Dairy Cow Striploin with grana padano and balsamic gravy. The Holstein beef features a rich marbling that makes the meat flavourful and tender. It tastes better when served medium-rare, a cooking method that allows it to preserve its natural beef flavours. The uniqueness of Holstein beef is due to its high dairy content. Chef Omar and his crew did not disappoint with this dish — the true flavour of the Striploin stood out with its light gravy sauce.
Whole Roast Holstein Dairy Cow. Photo courtesy of the author.
The other main course was the Branzino, a salt-baked whole Mediterranean sea bass which was also cooked to perfection. The light, flaky white flesh of branzino has a delicate, slightly sweet taste that lends itself well to a variety of flavours. It was cooked with the most simple and basic ingredients: salt and lemon.
Branzino is baked in salt and lemon. Photo courtesy of the author.
Branzino is baked in salt and lemon. Photo courtesy of the author.
Our main courses came with tasty side dishes such as the Risotto cooked with seasonal vegetables and herbs and Broccolini cooked in garlic and lemon.
Risotto cooked with seasonal vegetables and herbs. Photo courtesy of the author.
Our main courses were paired with either white or red wine. The Domodimonti, Deja Vu, Offida Passerina DOCG white wine is silky and rich with good persistence marked by the well-ripened white fruit. The Il Botolo Barbera D’Asti DOCG, Piedmont red wine is of ruby red colour with concentrated aromas of dried herbs, tart red fruit, and a hint of licorice. The palate shows sour blackberry fruit, garrigue and brandied cherries.
Photo courtesy of the author.
Dolci (Desserts). It really is true that we always save the best for last! For the finale, we indulged in the heavenly classic Tiramisu — a no-bake dessert consisting of ladyfingers soaked with rum and coffee, then layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar and the creamy, sweet mascarpone cheese sprinkled with lashings of cocoa. It was so light and fluffy!
Tiramisu. Photo courtesy of the author.
We also had the Lavender Panna Cotta with berries, almond crumbs, and meringue. Its smooth texture, refined sweetness, and elegant way it is plated make it a perfect treat at the end of any meal.
Lavender Panna cotta. Photo courtesy of the author.
Service par excellence. Carlino won’t be Carlino without its efficient, professional, and accommodating team — the heart of the restaurant! From the moment I booked the private dining room with one of its assistant managers, Gabriela Corvalan, to liaising with the daytime manager, Veronika, when we had to deal with some changes regarding the planning of the dinner event; and of course, being taken care of by the night manager, Roberto Ayala, on the night of the event itself, and our waiter for the evening, Jean-Philippe Sauvageau — the service is truly astounding from the reservation to the dinner! They all provided excellent customer service that is flawless, well-timed, easy, personalized, and empathetic.
Gabriela was so competent, knowledgeable, and patient with me while helping me arrange the dinner. Veronika was always pleasant and amenable. Roberto was proactive and skillful, and he anticipated our every need. Jean-Philippe was welcoming, and easily one of the best waiters in Vancouver! Jean-Philippe communicated effectively with the rest of his team regarding our requests for the night. Michael Legge, the Sommelier and Wine Director, was so insightful and helpful when it came to suggesting wines and aperitifs that would go well with our food. Vancouver is such a small fishbowl because it turns out — Michael is the best friend of the son of one of my sisterhood tribe!
Yours truly with Sous Chef Christian Manalo and Chef de Cuisine Omar Hadi. Photo courtesy of the author.
Lastly, we were extremely happy to discover that the Sous Chef was a fellow Filipino Vancouverite! Sous Chef Christian Manalo, together with Chef de Cuisine Omar Hadi, delivered and executed such delicious, authentic Friulian cuisine with such aplomb. With Chef Christian’s talent and positive attitude, without any doubt, he will surely go places in the culinary world!
Carlino is definitely not your average typical Italian fine dining in Vancouver. Not at all. Far from it. Carlino specialises and takes great pride in showcasing the best and finest Fruilian recipes, which in itself is rich in Italian and European cuisine history. Indeed, no wonder Carlino is taking the culinary scene in Vancouver by storm. Its unrivalled and fresh food quality, combined with exceptional service by its team, makes it the new best Italian fine dining in Vancouver! With Carlino, we will definitely be living La Dolce Vita!
