When you experience food abroad, it typically tastes different eating the same dishes here. The ingredients may not be quite the same, the methodology employed to produce them altered, or the terroir is distinct. In their effort to achieve authenticity, The BiBo’s Italian owners, Andrea Bini (Bi) and Lorenzo Bottazzi (Bo) source top quality ingredients directly from Italy. They have even imported two of their chefs from Genoa and Naples.
The BiBo offers a simple menu focused on antipasti, pasta, pizza, and desserts. DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) products from various provinces showcase a sample of Italy’s finest foods – e.g. San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala, Liguria basil. Two good sampling options are their Northern and Southern “Italian experience” antipasti tasting, offering three regional selections each of salumi, DOP cheese, and paired wine. Red, white, sparkling, and dessert wines are mostly Italian. Of note are the four exclusive house wines from the Bottazzi family’s 450-year-old Monterosso estate in Piedmont – Barbera, Bonarda, Cortese, Timorasso.
Taleggio, a semi-soft, washed-rind cheese from Lombardy.
Culatello, the heart of the Prosciutto.
Premium olive oils imported by The BiBo Group.
Torta Pasqualina, a traditional Ligurian Easter dish.
Vitello tonnato: veal with a tuna sauce.
Torta cipolle e pancetta: onion & pancetta tart.
Pernigotti cremottino: non-dairy, 80% cocoa gelato. (Alfonso Arnold photo)
On June 30, The Bibo launched their weekend brunch service, and four products new to Vancouver – farinata, focaccia al formaggio di Recco, bagna cauda, and Pernigotti Cremottino gelato. Farinata is a centuries-old Genovese flatbread made from chickpea flour. A popular snack originating in Liguria, focaccia al formaggio di Recco is formed by dotting soft cheese between thin dough sheets, baked, then topped with cheese or ham. Bagna cauda, a Piedmontese vegetable dip, dates from the 16th century. Butter, olive oil, garlic, and anchovies are cooked into a creamy sauce for serving with seasonal vegetables. And new to North America from Pernigotti, Italy’s oldest chocolate producer, is Cremottino, a rich-tasting non-dairy gelato made with 80% cocoa.
The BiBo’s brunch services is from 10:30am – 3:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The BiBo Italian Restaurant
1835 West 4th Avenue | Kitsilano
Tel: 604.568.6177
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~ RG
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They seriously need to improve their service and attitude at The BiBo. Google all their reviews, the hordes of pissed-off customers speaks for itself.