WHEN dining out with the kids it’s always difficult to get the balance quite right. You want good food but you also want to keep the kids entertained.
With fine dining the experience can be compromised by fidgety kids. The higher prices justify more attention than parents can usually spare.
Whereas if you opt for themed restaurants with an indoor play area you can almost guarantee you’re going to have to endure a menu of ‘ding’ meals with no fresh produce in sight.
So it’s a refreshing change when a restaurant delivers a fine balance of providing quality food and making their restaurants child friendly. Gusto in Cheadle Hulme does exactly just this.
Gusto is an open planned restaurant with great views of the kitchens. This immediately fascinated Harry, aged seven, and Ava, aged four. The kids were also lent an iPod each, with specially selected games to keep them entertained. This little bit of genius from the Gusto team is available at all their restaurants - it definitely beats the broken crayons and sheets of cartoon characters to colour.
So whilst the kids were kept entertained Janice and I could sit back and study the vast menu. It was lunch time when we visited so we opted for one course each, I chose Romesco chicken salad with goat’s cheese rocket and aged balsamic (£9.95) and Janice opted for tagliatelle with garlic prawns, tomato, chill and rocket (£10.25).
After we’d chosen our dishes it was time to see what the kids wanted, typically they opted to make their own pizzas – this is part of a pizza and dessert deal £5.95. The choice of toppings includes cheese, chopped ham, sweetcorn, mushrooms, spicy peperoni or tuna fish. They also get chefs’ hats and of course, a pizza base.
Harry and Ava loved every minute of their handiwork. Once their creations were completed the waitress whizzed them off to be cooked. With that open plan kitchen it meant Harry and Ava could watch their creations going into the pizza ovens. They proudly wolfed them down as soon as the pizzas returned.
Janice’s tagliatelle with prawns was a hearty sized portion, the prawns were succulent with the right mix of pasta, and chilli and garlic.
Normally I don’t order a salad but it was lunch time and I’d fancied a light bite.
The chicken was tender and not overally chargrilled and there was a good balance of rich and creamy goat’s cheese. The aged balsamic dressing was what bought all the flavours together – not too sharp or sweet.
For dessert Harry and Ava were given a choice of ice cream, a good crowd pleaser with the under 10s - the adults went for the more boring choice of coffee.
Gusto is the perfect family dining venue that ticks all the boxes, great entertainment for the kids, good food for the adults. The children even get a fun lesson on the virtue of making and preparing food.
Gusto, Landmark House, Station Road Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 7BS, 0161 488 1180. There is also a Gusto in Didsbury and others across the North West
Click here for more information about Gusto Restaurants.
