The BiBo
DETAILS
Address: 1835 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver | Map | Tel: 604.568.6177
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday | Lunch: Noon – 3:00 pm | Dinner: 5:00 pm until late
Web: TheBiBo.com Twitter: @TheBiBo
ABOUT THE FOOD
While a slew of Vancouver restaurants claim to make authentic Italian cuisine, The BiBo is the real deal and doesn’t have to posture. The owners, Lorenzo Bottazzi and Andrea Bini, are childhood friends who come from a small village between Genoa and Milan. The pizza chef, Salvatore Miele, trained under the finest pizza master in Naples prior to getting recruited by The BiBo. The restaurant shows an uncompromising and passionate commitment to using the highest quality Italian ingredients. And you can taste the difference in the food.
Starters
It’s impossible to go wrong with the starter menu, but the reigning favourite is the the special Olive Oil Tasting with Bruschetta. Owner Lorenzo Bottazzi is as passionate about the Italy’s handcrafted olive oils as he is about wine. He says, “Extra virgin olive oil is the minimum standard. It’s like saying the sun is yellow.” The BiBo carries rare oils from small producers in Tuscany, Puglia, Liguria and Sicily, giving you the chance to explore how Italian terroir will influence the sweetness and acidity.
Pasta
Connoisseurs of Italian cuisine rave about the pasta fresca which is made in house. Think fluffy Gnocchi with Pesto made from fresh basil imported from Liguria or the signature BiBo Matteo—wide ribbons of pasta paired with flavorful Porcini mushroom sauce.
Pizza
Described by The Globe and Mail’s food writer as “ a sheer delight to watch… a dark and handsome heavenly creature recruited from Naples” pizza chef Salvatore Miele is a true pro. Using a classic wood fired oven, Miele creates blistered beauties with pleasantly acidic sauce using San Marzano DOP tomatoes, and a perfectly chewy crust. Among the 26 pizze on offer, the Margherita Formula One stands out. The BiBo upgrades the classic Margherita with DOP buffalo mozzarella, made from the milk of domesticated water buffalo in the Campania region.
Check out the entire pizza list here.
About the Wine
The BiBo is quite serious about producing and serving the finest wines. Growing up on acres of vineyards (pictured above) surrounded by wine culture, it is no surprise that owner Bottazzi went on to develop his appreciation for wine to become a sommelier and wine maker.
From the North West Piemonte region of Italy, Lorenzo Bottazzi’s family owns and operates the Monterosso vineyard estate. Built in the year 1530 and used as a convent by priests, Lorenzo’s great grandfather, the First Count of Bottazzi, purchased the property in 1860. The Bottazzi family has continued making wine from the vineyards. The grapes–Barbera, Cortese and Timorasso– grown in this region are highly sought after by other vineyard operators.
Lorenzo is the first in the family to bottle the Monterosso wine for sale and it’s now offered exclusively at the restaurant. Restaurant patrons have been known to call and order a case after tasting it with the food. All of the bottled wines from Lorenzo’s Italian vineyard are organic with no added chemicals.
Check out the full wine list here.
