manchesterfoodtourist So another celebrity Italian has opened in Manchester, this time Gino’s
Connected to Piccolino’s, A good quality chain, hopes were high for a good feed at Gino’s Manchester, also in The Corn Exchange with previously reviewed restaurants Cabana (Brazilian) and Mowgli (Indian).
Taking recipe’s from Gino’s number of books, the menu cleverly tells you which book the dish appears in and even the page number, so 10/10 for marketing there.
Décor was great and seating near the bar at a window table was pleasant.
The Calamari Starter was well seasoned and plentiful, unfortunately there was more Tempura Veg than the Calamari itself. The dish was teamed well with Garlic Mayo and Fresh Lemon.
I opted for the Arancini which can either be so good or so bad, on this occasion they were moist and flavoursome, added by the Salsa and Pecorino served on the side. Definitely my favourite dish of the visit and highly recommended.
Our mains consisted of Carbonara, that was full of flavour and went down well and my choice of the Linguine with Crab, Lemon and Chilli (One of the Days Specials)
Whilst full of flavour, the Chilli was a little overpowering and overshadowed the lemon and crab, in fact the crab was totally lost in this dish, that was apart from the shell that also found its way onto my plate and almost cost me a tooth.
For dessert I had to try Rocco’s (Gino’s Son) favourite, however instead of balancing out the intense chocolate flavour of this oozing Fondant with the Vanilla Ice Cream, I opted for the equally chocolaty Nutella Ice Cream. Maybe a little intense for some, but for a chocoholic this was amazing.
The service in the restaurant was good, the wine was pleasant and the food was average to good. To be honest, it was better than I expected it to be, with just a few things letting it down.
Italian for me should be fresh ingredient’s combined to create a gastronomic treat, I want to be able to taste each and every ingredient used and not overpowered by just one.
A good restaurant, but seems to concentrate on the Celeb Link a little more than the finished article.
Gino’s has not taken my Italian No 1 Spot, but I would definitely visit again.
