GUSTO DA GIANNI REVIEW

BY LEANNE O’BRIEN

If you were to ask me what one of my favourite restaurants was in Hull, I wouldn’t hesitate to include Gusto Da Gianni. I love the interior of the restaurant which you wouldn’t expect from its unassuming exterior and it’s bigger on the inside than it appears from outside. Gusto has a super cosy atmosphere and has beautiful exposed bricks and beams, along with Italian inspired decorations.

I started with the Calamari Fritti con Salsa Tartara as I have been loving squid recently. The squid was cooked well and had a beautifully light batter served with a generous portion of salsa tartara. Joss went for the tomato and basil soup served with toasted Pugliese bread. I tried a spoonful and can confirm it had that beautiful, quintessential fresh Italian tomato sauce taste. A great start, followed by equally fantastic mains. Joss did briefly consider going for something different, but went for his usual carbonara, which indicates how he feels about it. I also opted for a pasta dish, but went for something new: Casoncelli Boscaiola; half moon pasta filled with beef and pork in a sauce of mushroom, peas, bolognese, cream. All I can say is WOW! This dish was so flavoursome. The sauce was the perfect balance of tomato and cream and the pasta wasn’t as heavy as other filled pastas can sometimes be, rather it was really delicate. The peas also added texture and sweetness.

We shared a garlic bread as you can’t have pasta without garlic bread - that’s sacrilege. Lovely thin base, again not heavy at all. Perfect to fit more in. For the first time, we also tried their truffle and parmesan potatoes as an extra side that were gorgeous! Beautiful food as always, highly recommend this amazing little place.