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2008-06-27
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A sister establishment of Wyndham Street's Tivo, Vivo's image is undeniably similar...almost a mirror image. Except that Vivo's bar is off to one side with a pizza oven at the end side, making the dining room looks smaller, with limited tables. Best to convey a small joint with exclusivity, and at a certain level of pretense to it. But s the food itself exclusively good as the vibe has been? That, depends solely on how you perceive the concept of "good food". Dishes here are meant to convey gla
The menu offers Italian fare, with 5 to 6 choices per category. The overall selection lacks the generosity you may find in a traditional Italian place, say, a few stores up like Sole Mio. On my experience a party of four ordered the famed Portobello (Pizza with porcini, shiitake and Portobello mushroom flavored with black truffle pesto and basil leaves: $135, one size) The pizza dough is crispy on the bottom and not too heavy. The fragrance of cooked mushrooms rushed out of the oven and filled the entire room. If you order pizza, Portobello is the way to go.
We also ordered Angel Hair Pasta (tossed with garlic oil and a bit of pepperoncino, hot peppers). A simple order that should reflect how well the kitchen treats its food. The angel hair is tender with a light bite to it, At one point the flavour is so light that we sworn that Chinese plain noodles could taste more wheaty than these thin strands.
Cheese Calzone is pizza on variation, this time filled with smoked mozzarella, gorgonzola dolce , Parmesan and Taleggio. All 4 cheese carry its own weight the create a harmony without one taking over its attention than the other. It's nice work, and a side salad is filled with fresh greens including rocket leaves. The vinaigrette though, doesn't really taste like anything. Just as you think the main dish will be so good, the side salad betrays its name and put it back to just par.
Duck Confit Risotto with Red Wine Reduction is the main star. A wine-lover friend wanted to try risotto, and so we did. We talked about how risotto is made, how much attention to be paid within, and then alas, it's here. A fresh cracked of black pepper makes it all the better. We spoon ourselves a little to taste, only to find out that the rice granules were grainy, and by that I mean no al dente. I've made risotto and I've had some great risottos (and many bad ones) before. This one is not bad, but it's not exactly wonderful either. The broth that makes it also tasted salty and not very duck-ish either. Red wine reduction compliments the duck confit which is a little stringy too. We summoned the waiter and he took a bite. With kind explanation that their chef's style is "Milanese", aka "rice tends to be on quite a bite"...We realize taking it back is not an option for them. And so, we swallowed the rest of it and called it a night.
Vivo has some very attentive staff and they will tend to your needs before you even spill it out. There are, however, some funny facts here. As we reached out to the pepper grinder on our table only to find that the pepper grinder was empty, we reached out for the ones on neighboring tables and realized that they are only there as part of the decor. (none of them were filled.) The resturant manager had to come over and grind the pepper for us. And if you dine at Vivo make sure you order drinks. Water here is going to make quite a generous amount at the bill and the staff will crack open a bottle of panna even if you ask for flat water. Last but not least staff here are mostly Chinese but it seems more acceptable (to the managers, at least) to speak in English when you order or make requests of any sort, even if you need to repeat yourself a few times and eventually switched to Chinese. Afterall, any sensible Chinese-diners will spend their money elsewhere with better food options and better servings. The service though, is good. Food wise, only on par, and I can say Vivo at night can be very loud, not exactly a quiet place for conversations. That sets this newer establishment from its Wyndham Street sister place, perhaps?
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