Some friends could not believe that I have never tried Cin Cin. I just never really had the opportunity to go or ever thought of going. So recently, I organised some friends for a good catch up and hopefully some good food and atmosphere.
Calamari Fritti
Hand scored calamari dusted in our secret crumbs cooked to perfection served with spicy aioli
This was really nice. The calamari was fresh and deep fried really nicely. The seasoning on it was good and went really well with the aioli, which had some spice to it, but not enough for me. The salad was also nice which had a nice vinegarette on it as well.
Polpette
Organic lamb and beef meatballs seasoned with Italian herbs
These were good. The sauce was nice and the parmesan was a good addition. The meatballs were good, but I think it would have been better to have fewer meatballs but have them bigger so the sauce does not overpower the lamb or beef.
Arancini
Arborio risotto balls (pepperoni salami, basil, tomato chilli, mozzarella) crumbed
I really liked these arancini balls. the inside was nice and smooth and had a good flavour. It was had to taste the different elements in the balls, but they were cooked really nicely and were nicely seasoned with parmesan.
Carbonara
Honey cured bacon cooked with onion and cream tossed w/ parmesan and served with penne pasta
This looked really nice and looked quite rich, but I was excited to try it. The pasta was nicely cooked and the bacon added a really nice savoury punch to the pasta. The sauce was nice and went really well with the pasta. However, it was slightly too salty which made it slightly hard to finish the sauce when there was no more pasta left. I also do wonder why they don’t use fresh pasta, especially for the price you pay. It would have just been so much better.
Limonata Panna Cotta
Presentation wise this didn’t look very nice. I do not know why they put it in such a large white plate. However, the pannacotta was really nice and not too sweet or rich and the berry coulis on the side matched the pannacotta really well.
I can see why Cin Cin is popular. The food is good and the atmosphere is friendly. However, on the evening we went, the service was not really great and it took some time to make our order, but once the order was made the food came out rather fast. I feel this place would be good for large groups as the menu has a lot of options and the food comes out rather fast.
Address: 156 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington
Website: Cin Cin
Trencherman's Travels 