Gusto Manchester, Elliott House, 4 Lloyd Street (off Deansgate) Manchester M2 5AB
We are so spoilt for grand, historic buildings in Manchester, we are sometimes guilty of walking past them without noticing their beautiful detail. Most of these ornate facades also have glamorous interiors which have been lovingly restored and now house elegant restaurants. Behind the beautiful sandstone carvings and oval windows of Elliot House on Deansgate, originally built in 1878, you’ll find a branch of the small Italian restaurant chain, Gusto.
Gusto’s interior reflects the grander side of Manchester’s industrial heritage, by combining tall ceilings with a grand island bar, a private dining room, dark green leather, dark wood and polished brass fixtures to give a timeless elegance. The restaurant area has been seamlessly divided into a variety of seating areas, including round leather benches, tables laid with linen, and slightly more casual brasserie-style tables, making Gusto the ideal venue for every meal. Whether you are having a special meal for two, a family celebration, a business lunch or a quick solo bite to eat, Gusto will bring a beautiful, simple decadence to any occasion.
The a la carte menu is heavily influenced by classic Italian dining but subtle modern international influences bring it up to date. After ordering a pre-dinner or lunchtime cocktail from the bar, many guests like to start with a selection of nibbles such as bruscetta with various toppings, garlic pizza bread with fresh rosemary and sea salt, or a deli board with fine cheeses and cured meats to share.
Starters include traditional specialities such as hand-rolled meatballs in a spiced tomato sauce, or creamed garlic mushrooms with grilled ciabatta. On our recent visit, we enjoyed tucking into slow roasted pork ribs in a sweetly sticky glaze and crunchy vegetable salad as well as a dish of summery blanched asparagus with a dolcelatte mayonnaise.
As you’d expect, Gusto specialises in a range of classic pasta dishes and comforting risottos, including one with smoked haddock, spinach, peas and a poached egg. We went old school with a lunchtime bowl of everyone’s favourite, spaghetti Bolognaise. Gusto’s pizzas are huge flattened pillows of freshly baked dough with toppings which range from the classic Margherita to the more unusual Peking with crispy duck, hoi sin sauce, spring onion and cucumber. However, on this visit, we decided to focus on their selection of interesting main courses.
A dish of Slow Cooked Pork Belly with fried gnocci, crispy crackling, apple sauce and red wine juice was tender and filling enough to keep us smiling until autumn. We also enjoyed a lighter dish of Roast Monkfish Tail in a mild curried broth with smoked garlic oil, which turned out to be a perfect choice for lunchtime – not too heavy and just filling enough to carry us through the rest of the day.
Of course, the advantage of choosing lighter dishes for main course is that there’s always room for dessert, and the selection at Gusto really shouldn’t be missed. Sweet treats range from a light Summer Berry and Prosecco Jelly with meringue-spiked Eton mess ice cream, to more rib-sticking favourites such as Warm Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownie with pistachio ice cream and chocolate sauce.
With a selection of good liqueur coffees and dessert wines to match, together with an extensive cocktail list and excellent wine selection, guests might be tempted to visit these relaxed but refined surroundings for lunch, but end up happily staying a lot longer. Just like we did.
Gusto Manchester, Elliott House, 4 Lloyd Street (off Deansgate) Manchester M2 5AB
