Cibo e Vino is the leading mention in this May’s issue of the(sydney)magazine. In the Sydney Morning Herald supplement, Cibo e Vino is top of the list when it comes to Castle Hill Eat & Drink!

“Cibo e Vino scores a respectable 13.5/20 in the 2012 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and its intimate space and honest-sized servings of rustic Italian fare have made it a favourite among the locals…”

That’s why on Sunday, May 13 (Mother’s Day!), Cibo e Vino will be opening especially for you and your mum! Usually closed on Sundays, Cibo will open between 11:30am – 2:30pm for your mum’s special lunch.

A casual dining experience with no set menu restrictions, make your lunch all about good food and let your mum do the choosing!

Bookings are highly recommended so call us on 8002 0912 now!

We loved having kids eat for free during the school holidays and we hear you did too! Thanks to the fantastic feedback we’ve been getting, we’re excited to announce that back to school doesn’t have to mean back to boring dinners. We’re keeping our free children’s meals going for customers who dine early! So if you’re dining at 5:30pm on Saturdays or 6pm Wednesday-Friday, your child can eat for free. Pop in soon!

Conditions:

1. 1 free kids meal with every adult main course ordered
2. Children 12 and under only
3. Not valid with any other offer

Call us on (02) 8002 0912 to make your dinner booking.

We’re bringing back our KIDS EAT FREE special this Autumn school holidays!

Conditions:

• Kids eat free any day during April 11 – 21
• 1 free kids meal with every adult main course ordered
• Children 12 and under only
• Not valid with any other offer

Call us on (02) 8002 0912 to make your dinner booking.

Exciting news! We’re extending our opening hours! Cibo e Vino will now be open on Saturdays from 5:30pm till 10:30pm. What’s more, bring your kids and they eat free!

If you’re an early diner (finish by 7pm), for every adult meal ordered, one kid from your party under 12 will get to choose one free meal from our kids menu. More than hamburger and chips, they get to choose from some our delicious pastas!

Get on it and well see you Saturday!

Chef Paul Toogood makes good in the hills at Cibo e Vino

Dazzled by the bright lights of Sydney CBD, Cibo e Vino’s head chef, Paul Toogood, left a year ago in hopes of further exploring his identity as a chef. Realising his style was closely linked to the simple and rustic cooking he’d produced in every dish for his five years at Cibo e Vino, Paul recently returned home to the open arms of the restaurant he’d helped establish.

Having worked in busy and prestigious kitchens across the world, including Buzo and Aqua Luna in Sydney and The River Cafe in London, which trained the likes of Jamie Oliver, Paul feels lucky to work again with a staff he considers family.

He hopes to reinvigorate the Cibo e Vino’s menu with good, clean and local food. Preferring to allow the produce to drive his inspiration, Paul makes regular trips to the farms of his suppliers and creates menus based on the highest-quality harvest of the season.

Time and care are lovingly poured into every handcrafted dish at Cibo e Vino, which has been offering the Hills District community a quality dining experience for over five years and is the best-rated restaurant in Castle Hill in the SMH Good Food Guide 2012.

Bookings are highly recommended.

What prompted your return to Cibo e Vino?
Cibo is great as I get to cook whatever I feel like. It is a great place that feels like a big family with the staff and even the customers are friends. My experience in Sydney CBD made me realise how lucky we are at Cibo to have this.

What makes you a great head chef?
I try to promote a sense of family in my staff. It makes the work day a lot better and gives us a bit of unity- and hopefully that helps them put up with me.

What do you do that might annoy other Cibo e Vino staff?
The most annoying thing for the staff would be trying to leave things to the last so everything is fresh.

Why did you decide to become a chef?
The chef thing was probably a bit of an unusual idea as I always imagined I’d be a scientist or similar. Mum suggested it might be something I’d enjoy. So I guess, listen to your mother!

What is happiness?
Happiness is hanging with my wife, Michelle on a lazy Sunday, maybe starting the day with a swim then sitting in a cool cafe or restaurant watching everyone walk by.

What do you love most about yourself
My perseverance.

What’s the trait that you dislike most about yourself?
Probably procrastination.

Who or what is the love of your life?
Michelle Williams now Michelle Toogood

How would you describe your style in the kitchen?
Seasonal and simple.

What is your signature dish in the kitchen?
Signature dish is probably gnocchi- it’s tends to be the most ordered and gets a lot of press.

What’s your easy-peasy go-to dish to make whenever you’re having guests over?
Roast organic chicken with smoked ricotta and silverbeet!

Care to share the recipe with us?
I’ll share the roast chicken. It’s easy-as to cook but you need a good barbie, like a Weber style one that smokes and cook.

Roast organic chicken with smoked ricotta and silverbeet

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• ½ tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp Cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp Black Pepper
• Lemon
• 1/3 of a bunch of supermarket thyme
• Fresh full cream ricotta
• 1 Silverbeet
• Olive oil

Chicken:

• Season your chicken with paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper, 1/2 lemon and  thyme in the cavity- Ideally season the night before as it helps to keep the chook moist
• Chuck it in the barbie at 180 degrees, placing directly onto wire rack so you get the maximum charcoal chicken flavour.
• Squeeze in a tray of fresh full cream ricotta on a separate tray.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and let cook until it looks a bit roasted and tastes smoky.

For the silverbeet:

• Separate the stems and the leaves and cook in lightly salted water for 7 and 4 mins respectively.
• The white part should be “al dente” when cooked.
• Drain and dress with olive oil and fresh lemon juice and black pepper immediately after draining.
• Once the chicken is cooked and has rested cut up as desired, serve the silverbeet with the smoked ricotta lightly broken up and folded through.
• A lemon on the side of the chicken would be a winner too!

What’s your favourite dish on the Cibo e Vino menu?
Favourite dish at moment is maybe the mixed mushrooms with Italian mozzarella or the poached chicken with fetta and smoked almonds.

What makes Cibo e Vino different from other restaurants?
We try to create an environment that’s relaxed- one we’d love to eat at. The food is simple and tasty and fresh.

What are you most excited about this year?
Fun things coming up this year are going to various producers with our customers and having a feast on their farm (look out for paddock to plate!) and the cooking classes we have planned too.

Great functions Cibo e Vino has held in the past include…

• Corporate lunches and dinners
• Anniversaries
• Birthdays
• Engagements
• Retirement parties
• Christmas parties

Don’t hesitate to submit an inquiry today and we’ll see you soon!

Love from your Cibo e Vino team.

Cibo e Vino has also created special Valentine’s Day hours. We’ll be opening a half hour early and will be operating from 5:30pm to 10:30pm.

Check out the menu below, and call now to book: (02) 8002 0912

$65 (choice of one from each course)

Sparkling on arrival

To celebrate our recommitment to local farmers, we’ve peppered our new menu with organic meat, fruit and veg sourced from just stone’s throw away of our own backyard.

Psst..! We’ve also expanded our desserts menu- check it out below!

Sample Menu

To share
Romagna style flatbread with roast ricotta, greens and prosciutto 15
Deep fried zucchini flowers with ricotta and truffle pecorino 12.5
Crispy organic chicken wings with balsamic and parmesan 12.50

Entrees
Char-grilled squid with cherry tomatoes, chili and basil 16
Roasted local goats cheese with grilled focaccia and slow roasted garlic 14
Pan-fried quail with figs, rocket and hazelnuts 16

Mains
Risotto of scallops, prawns, sweet corn, zucchini flowers and herbs 28
Fettuccine with rabbit, quail, organic chicken, mushrooms, thyme and reggiano 27
Potato gnocchi with tomato, roast red onion and pecorino 22
Poached organic chicken breast with grilled leek, baby carrots, fennel, aged feta, pine nuts and basil 29
Blue eye cod, baked in a bag with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, Ligurian olives and herbs 33
Char-grilled angus scotch fillet with buttermilk mashed potato and eschallots 34
Char-grilled lamb cutlets with roast lemon potatoes, silverbeet, and anchovy and rosemary dressing 34

Sides
“Cibo style” shoestring fries with herbs, parmesan, garlic and chili 8
Savoy cabbage salad with lemon, parsley and croutons 8

Desserts
Almond milk “panna cotta” with organic cherries 12
Hot chocolate pudding with house made vanilla ice cream 12.5
Strawberry granita 12
Lemon curd tart 10
Gorgonzola dolce with honeycomb and biscuits 12