Vancouver Magazine

Umberto’s flagship room still has the power to seduce. Like a vintage Barolo, age favours this charmingly careworn room, softening its edges and enhancing its allure. Corporate power players court business at lunch while dinner sees well-heeled men woo Manolo-heeled women over candlelight and Chianti. Recent renovations to the expansive courtyard patio have diminished none of its magic. It’s easy to forget where you are; the lush greenery conjures the romantic Tuscan countryside where time is measured by the wine left in your bottle. Pasta aglio olio with grilled scampi glistens with unctuous olive oil (though we won’t see it on the menu) and the roasted milk fed veal chop with rosemary and lemon jus ($39.95) exudes honest rusticity. G.M. Bobby Copiak remains one of the best in the business, a worthy B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame inductee.