Went to CinCin with some friends for a birthday. I had been here previously for a work dinner. Interestingly enough there was another branch in Daejeon that I used to frequent. That branch in Daejeon was actually my first experience of CinCin. It was one of the rare places I went to for meals whilst in Korea because I really didn't have a lot of choices.
I had the Tuscan Style Braised Duck Breast, pappardelle, red wine, tomato, black pepper. It's not on their online menu - I can only assume they'd run out of short rib and replaced it with duck breast. I had the small portion and added 2g of black truffle. At first, I couldn't really taste the truffle. But then I mixed it in to the oil and grease at the bottom of the plate and then it was delicious.
The duck was seasoned well and very tender. Another friend of mine had the same dish without the truffles but says it was too salty. I tasted the meat by itself, while well seasoned, I didn't think it was overly salty. Once you add the pappardelle to the bite, then it's perfectly balanced.
For dessert the five of us shared the Tiramisu, the fall spice panna cotta, and the macarons.
The fall spice panna cotta was like a pumpkin spice latte in solid form. The spice in the ginger crumbs were so aromatic and warm. It was the taste of Thanksgiving. The Panna Cotta itself was creamy but not gooey. It had set very well.
The marcarons were kind of a disappointment. Although I personally enjoyed the green tea flavoured one. My friends did not enjoy the others. They said that all they tasted was cream and they all taste the same.
Lastly the Tiramisiu was quite different from what you'd normally get. The ladyfingers were soaked with so much espresso, it was a mush in the bottom of the shot glass. And the taste itself was so strong of espresso you hardly tasted anything else. We also found the mascarpone was diluted with too much whipping cream, making it a lot lighter in texture than normal. I don't blame them, as mascarpone is so much more expensive than whipping cream. But honestly, I expected something more authentic from an Italian restaurant that charges you $12.50 for this tiny shot glass. The biscotti were a pleasant surprise though. It had a great balance of coffee and chocolate flavour.
When I first came I enjoyed the food. I didn't have to pay for it so I was in a great mood. I wouldn't have returned if not at the request of the birthday girl. I thought there were many more Italian restaurants in the city that had more bang for the buck. For example, the now closed down Quatro. The food is good, the service is good. It's just so darn expensive. Especially with all the good Italian food in the city, I will not return. But I will recommend if someone is looking for a fancy place to take someone for a special occasion.
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