Neighbourhood: Exchange
Address: 173 McDermot Ave
Phone: 975-0160
Entrées: $5-$14
(Editor’s Note – This business is no longer open.)
Since opening in October 2010, Sensi Wine Lounge has become the intersection between Winnipeg’s well-heeled and upwardly mobile professionals.
The swish, 50-seat, evenings-only spot is located above sister restaurant Tre Visi, in the east Exchange District.
Sensi has successfully tapped into a growing and enthusiastic segment of Winnipeg diners—sophisticated foodies eager for a luxurious experience for all the senses.
Buttery leather bucket seats, curved banquettes and overhead chrome mobiles create spaces of comfort and intimacy. Dozens of crystal fixtures refract shards of yellow light, illuminating romantic nooks.
A serene white bar anchors the room. A show-stopping glass vault secures more than 200 choice (vintages), priced from $27 through $1,050 per bottle. Engaging, informed servers deliver tasting notes for inspired wine flights, ensuring wine lovers are in very capable hands.
Bask in the ambiance and savour the wine, but come for the food.
Renowned Chef Giacomo Appice is at the helm of Sensi’s menu, but also delivers dishes for Tre Visi. Some Tre Visi classics, like beef carpaccio, panzella salad and divine pillows of gnocchi al pesto are available here in tapas-sized portions for $5 each. New favourites include spicy shrimp with sweet basil mango dip; tender tomato sauce meatballs; and trendy roasted beet salad with pistachio.
This menu is designed for tasting and sharing. Petite portions and small bites replace heaping Italian courses typically served in many city restaurants.
The most exquisite pleasures are often simple ones, like an aromatic dish of roasted almonds. Each hot husk bursts with sea-salted nut oils.
In the pasta e fagoli, earthy kidney and cannellini beans mingle with tender ditalini in robust tomato and extra virgin olive oil sauce.
An antipasto platter plays with taste permutations, pairing provolone, triple cream Brie, prosciutto and mortadella with pickled eggplant and artichokes.
Cold potato and salmon salad is full-bodied and fresh with potent black olives, red onion and tangy blasts of preserved lemon.
A duo of chicken parm sliders deliver classic Italian with a pub-fare twist. A succulent chicken breast baked with mozzarella and tomato gravy is divided between two tiny, crusty ciabatta buns for a delicious, handheld snack.
Chocolate zucotto is sinfully divine. A dense ganache dome yields to an airy hazelnut Frangelico mousse while dabs of dark berry and cream sauce offer a bodacious bite that caps Sensi’s sensory experience.
Sensi Wine Lounge is open Tue 5 pm-10 pm; Wed & Thu 5 pm-11pm; Fri 4 pm-midnight and Sat 5 pm to midnight.