PUBLISHED March 18th, 2013 02:19 am | UPDATED May 9th, 2018 03:13 am
You might enter Caveau Wines and Bar at Shaw Centre for a meal, but walk out not quite sure what you’ve just experienced. This is a coffee bar by day. A wine bar by night. A retail shop that closes at the peak of dinner. There are Vietnamese bar bites, French bistro evening tapas and now to add to the hodgepodge, an Italian set lunch.
Gulp.
Despair not. Because if you have got the goods, who cares if you’re a schizo? And so being the critical City Nomads we are, we had to test the new Italian set lunch out, priced at $25++.
Test One: Appetizers
Verdict: Depends
The Artichoke Salad had bright, simple flavours, something I would imagine being served in a trattoria in Rome. The acid from the artichokes and balsamic dressing was reined in by the creamy texture of the parma ham shavings, and the tartness from a radicchio leaf from the mixed greens was a welcome variation. My usual salad cravings for crouton and blue cheese cravings never came.
N.B. Note the pictures represent tasting portions.
The Chicken Broth with Egg Garnish. Well, let’s just say it was a dud. Someone pass the salt shaker or the bill.
Test Two: Pasta Main Course
Verdict: E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T
Wow. Caveau surely impressed with its Orrechiette with Pork Sausage. The ear-shaped pasta knobs were firm, slightly toasted and coated with just a film of olive oil, mixed liberally with triangles of soft potato and some limp chard. House-made or not, the accompaniment of pork sausage deserves being a dish itself on the Specials Board – it’s spicy, seared beautifully on the outside, and rich without being greasy.
The pasta cooking process must have been fine-tuned to the exact millisecond, because the noodles in a Linguine with Mussels dish were also expertly al dente. The mussels remained juicy in their opened shells, swimming in a fragrant sauce with ascending whiffs of white wine, butter and onion. A well-done classic is better than a mangled, new-fangled creation – any day.
Test Three: Dessert
Verdict: And you thought dessert would be an after-thought…
Nope, definitely not at Caveau. Make no bones about the duo of Chocolate and Hazelnut Gelato, which is pedestrian-sounding but melts into a fun, delicious mess when hot espresso is poured over it, affogato-style. The hot, bitter coffee gold is a foil against the cold, sweet gelatos, with a sprinkle of crunchy hazelnuts and a dollop of airy whipped cream thrown in for more texture. The sweet treat perks you up for an afternoon ahead – that is, if you can bear the idea of not staying to chill or people-watch at this eatery, perhaps over a glass of wine from one of the sixteen spouts of wine dispensers on display.
For fans of lighter dessert, the Mixed Berry Panna Cotta gives you bursts of tang from blueberries and shards of crisp from broken blueberry macaroon shells, both sitting atop a texture-perfect custard. The music is jazzy and the service is ernest – life is good.
So it wasn’t that bad after all. The Caveau set lunch is definitely great value, though they can definitely push the envelope by sprucing up their appetizer section and by introducing more than just pasta for their mains. Still, for a new kid on the block figuring out what it wants to be, it’s a pretty darn good gourmet fix.
Caveau Wines and Bar has the name, the feel and the look of a classic French wine bar. Don’t be deceived though. Dig a little deeper.
Written by Mr Nom Nom.
On this occasion, the meal was compliments of Caveau Wines and Bar.