Cibo Bistro - Still Not for this Bovine

Bruschetta

We hadn’t been back to Cibo Bistro since it opened last year and at the time found it expensive compared to other restaurants in Edmonton that offer similar Italian fare, with food that was a bit hit and miss. However, @thepolishingviking had invited us to dine there again with her and a few friends, so we decided to see how things were a year later.

Ravioli

We opted to try the bruschetta that came with three different toppings: prosciutto di parma, house goat ricotta, sweet spring pea and walnut; braised pancetta, salsa verda, radish salad; and mozzarella di bufala, tomato, fresh basil, toasted pine nuts. The prosciutto di parma had a nice saltiness to it, atop the creamy goat ricotta and with a bit of crunch from the walnuts, this wound up being our favorite of the three toppings. The braised pancetta with salsa verda was too salty and sour for my liking and I found the flavor of the mozzarella di bufala with tomatoes, fresh basil and toasted pine nuts too muted.

Confit rabbit

We moved onto entrees next and the ravioli filled with whipped goat ricotta with fresh mint, fava beans, Italian summer truffle and topped with pecorino with creamy, rich and very enjoyable. Unfortunately there was some inconsistencies with their coniglio, as @thepolishviking’s citrus and thyme confit rabbit leg was perfectly cooked, while the skin on the rabbit served to the male human was crispy but overly salted, while the inside was dry. The mustard sauce was mildly sweet which complimented the rabbit very well, while the honey glazed carrots had a delicious sweetness to them.

Tazza di cioccolato

We finished the meal with a vanilla custard panna cotta with raspberry sauce, fresh mint and candied Meyer lemon. The panna cotta was too soft and jiggly, and the one that @thepolishviking received had fallen apart on the plate. The panna cotta didn’t taste very much of vanilla and we noted that vanilla bean looked like it had been sprinkled on top but we couldn’t visibly see any specks throughout the inside of the custard. As we ate, the custard tasted fairly bland and the texture wasn’t creamy as we expected. The tazza di cioccolato, was a chocolate hazelnut mousse with salted hazelnuts and braida marinated black berries. The top of the chocolate mousse was drenched in a thick caramel sauce, which was cloyingly sweet and difficult to eat around, and I gave up after a few attempts at getting just the mousse.

Although the ravioli and the one type of bruschetta topping were quite good, we found the rest of the food was either bland, over cooked or overly sweet. Although Cibo Bistro had improved on their portion sizes from our last visit, the taste of their food still wasn’t too our liking and the inconsistencies in cooking for the same table made our experiences vary wildly.

Cibo Bistro
11244 104 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T5K 2X4
780-757-2426
Twitter: @cibobistroedm