Gusto, Manchester

Relatively unaccustomed as I am to the culinary scene of the vibrant, bustling metropolis that is Manchester, I am fairly confident in saying that I know a good restaurant when I see, and eat in it.

Today when lunching for the first time at Gusto, I was pretty sure from the off that the place was one of some quality. It is therefore I feel, such a shame that one singular issue can negatively taint an otherwise positive experience.

From the moment you walk in, Gusto strives to impress, in a swift, sleek and quietly confident fashion. From the central location, to the stylized and sophisticated modern decor, to the confident and clinical presentation of the menu - I would even go as far as to say that Gusto ranks pretty high up within the culinary zeitgeist of Manchester today.

So the quality and finish was clearly there in abundance, but a glaringly simple and apparently catastrophic error was to be the undoing of Gusto for me this time. We were duly and directly informed by staff that the gas system in the kitchen had malfunctioned, thus delaying and stunting the delivery of not only our orders, but everyone else's. 

This is an issue, yet of course as I am sure you would agree, it needn't have been fatal. What was required at this point, was the staff to step up and step in at every juncture to insure that customers who were paying good money did not feel the negative effects of such a negative development. Whilst the staff were rightly very humble and apologetic, they did not do nearly enough to mask the evident chaos and confusion that was happening in the kitchen, and as such the food at our table was delivered sporadically, and in some cases poorly cooked. 

This was a major factor and flaw of the afternoon, and whilst it did not sour the entire experience, it was an issued that sadly would just not go away.

That being said, the food that did arrive, as well as reading well on the menu, in my case certainly looked and tasted superb in practice too. My initial starter of a chicken Romesco salad was delicious, and so too was my Rigatoni Primavera, all of which was followed by an interesting and delectable sticky toffee pudding.

If anything was to prove true to the obvious quality that is present at Gusto, then it is that despite everything else, their food is capable of being great. Yes it is a shame the lack of staff organisation in the face of adversity did cause issues, but I still enjoyed my lunch at Gusto, I credit my lovely godparents for introducing me to the place, and I would be happy to visit again.