I’ve been looking forward to the meal at Gusto, Cheadle Hulme for a few weeks and I made the most of the opportunity and got a little bit dressed up. It also gave me the perfect excuse to wear the vintage necklace and earrings I’d just bought off eBay!
The last time I ate at a Gusto was in October when I went to the Manchester restaurant with my husband, Ben, and a group of friends for my birthday. The meal on Saturday was just the two of us and after a busy week it was nice to have the time to catch up and to experience Gusto as a couple.
We decided to drive to Cheadle Hulme and managed to find a parking space down a side road a short walk away from the restaurant. The front of Gusto looked very eye catching with a curtain of sparkling lights that ran the full length of the window. There’s a large outside seating area set back from the road and I imagine it would be a great place to sit in the summer. We didn’t spend too much time admiring the outside as it was freezing cold and we were hungry!
When you walk into the restaurant you can’t fail to be impressed by the layout, decor and lighting. It was very seasonal with a stunning Christmas tree in the bar area and Christmas garlands with twinkling lights adorning the ceiling.
It’s modern inside but simple and elegant and I have to admit I was surprised. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected but it wasn’t this. Although Gusto is part of a chain, the restaurants differ greatly from each other and each has their own distinctive character.
Our booking was for 7pm and the restaurant was already very busy, loud and lively. Our table was one of several subtly lit booths to the right hand side of the restaurant all with wooden tables. The rest of the seating was well spaced and complemented by lovely wooden chairs which Ben said reminded him of old school chairs. It definitely felt very Christmassy and the curtain of lights in the window looked just as effective from the inside and added to the seasonal feeling.
Knowing we were there to try the Christmas Menu I’d already looked at it and had an idea of what I was going to order but Ben hadn’t seen it before. Whilst he chose we both ordered our wine; I had the Garganega Pinot Grigio which was a fruity white and Ben had the Pinot Grigio ‘Riff’ which was also a white wine but with a slightly less subtle taste than mine. There were some tempting Christmas Cocktails that we could have tried but we decided to stay with the wine as I find that one cocktail can lead to another, and another….!
There were three choices of starter, Peppered Mackerel Crostini with chive mascarpone and whole grain mustard dressing, Smoked Duck Salad with pomegranate, orange and aged balsamic and Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup served with oven baked focaccia.
We both chose the soup and weren’t disappointed. It was lovely and hot and the perfect portion size which was probably just as well given that we still had two courses to go and I definitely wanted to make sure there was room for dessert! Sometimes soup can be a bit underwhelming but this tasted fresh and the flavours of the peppers and tomatoes came through but were well balanced. It was well seasoned and with more than a hint of garlic which we both love. The oven baked focaccia was warm, quite simply flavoured and complemented the soup perfectly.
One course down and we were both impressed already but how would the main courses compare?
Again there was plenty to choose from with four options on the menu:
Slow Cooked Beef Daube in a green peppercorn, garlic and red wine sauce with fried potato gnocci, Baked Fillet of Salmon with a pesto crust and fennel puree, Roast Turkey served with braised red cabbage and pine nuts, sprouts, sausage wrapped in pancetta and red wine sauce and stuffing, or the vegetarian option of Artichoke Tortellini with creamed leeks, caramelised radish and beetroot crisps.
All of these were served with an individual side dish of roast potatoes, buttered carrots and green beans.
It matters to me where my food comes from, especially the welfare standard of any meat I eat. Unfortunately, neither the turkey nor the beef on the Christmas menu were free range and because of this, they weren’t an option for me. I was quite disappointed because it’s something that’s important to me and I feel that having free range or organic produce adds an extra dimension to any restaurant.
It’ll be no surprise that I chose the less traditional Artichoke Tortellini for my main course. The meal looked lovely when it came out with five very well filled tortellini parcels surrounding the creamed leeks which were presented in the centre of the plate.
The dish was garnished with a combination of the beetroot crisps and caramelised radish. As a rule I absolutely detest beetroot, it tastes like wet soil to me but these crisps were an eye opener; small and with a tasty, mild and inoffensive flavour, I was pleasantly surprised! The caramelised radish didn’t have a particularly strong taste and if I’m honest, for me, I don’t think it added anything to the rest of the meal. The creamed leeks were rich but offset well by the artichoke tortellini which I really enjoyed. Again this was well seasoned and I didn’t get bored of the flavours.
The side dishes of roast potatoes, buttered carrots and green beans at first glance looked a bit ‘tired’ when they were served but were actually cooked well and tasted fresh. They were well seasoned, quite buttery and again, heavily flavoured with garlic. The portion size of my main course was good and with the side dish too I actually struggled to finish it.
Ben had considered choosing the Beef Daube but decided that in keeping with tradition he would have the Roast Turkey for his main course. This was really well presented too with quite a generous amount of turkey and good portions of everything else.
I didn’t try any of this meal so I interrogated Ben to find out what he thought! Although he enjoyed parts of the meal, there were a few things that he felt let it down. He felt that for him, the pancetta and sausages could have been cooked for a bit longer (he likes them crispy) and he didn’t finish eating these. The other comment he had was that the turkey was very dry on its own and as the ‘feature food’ of a Christmas dinner, this let the meal down. All was not lost though as he said that the combined flavour of the braised red cabbage and pine nuts was (and I quote), “a winner” and that this was complemented really well by the red wine sauce. The all important stuffing and sprouts were well flavoured and well cooked and he enjoyed the additional side dish of vegetables too.
With mixed views on the main course put aside we ordered our desserts. There were three choices on the menu and when trying to order ‘one of each’ failed miserably, we chose the Apple and Blackberry Crumble with vanilla ice cream and the Chocolate and Ginger Tart with vanilla Chantilly and promised to share!
The third choice that didn’t make it to the table was Christmas Mess – cranberry compote, orange cream and sweet mincemeat.
Ben hijacked the crumble as soon as it arrived so he had the first taste. I was worried that he wouldn’t leave me any but I put the Chocolate and Ginger Tart to one side and we hurriedly devoured the crumble. We were both in agreement that it was really good – hot, with a crunchy, buttery crumble topping and perfect with the melting vanilla ice cream. If I’m being really picky, I’d say it was more apple crumble than anything else as there were only a few blackberries in there although this didn’t detract at all from how much I enjoyed it.
We moved on to the Chocolate and Ginger Tart and quite quickly I surrendered this to Ben. There was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn’t my kind of dessert. The chocolate was very rich and combined with the buttery base it was just too much for me. The ginger combined with what I think was dark chocolate added a bitter twist to this dessert and I have more of a sweet tooth. Ben enjoyed this dessert too but some of it went unfinished and the crumble was declared the outright victor.
To finish the meal off I ordered a cappuccino – this was just stalling for time really as I was so full I wasn’t sure I could walk to the car!
Prior to going to Gusto I’d been thinking about a couple of things and wondering how much difference reviewing a meal would have on how we were treated and how the food would be brought out to us. Would each course be ‘rushed’ out to us and how might this impact on being able to enjoy the usual experience of a relaxing evening out? Would the service be different to when we’d been to Gusto previously and would the staff be ‘overly’ attentive?
I can honestly say that this wasn’t the case and any concerns I had soon disappeared; the courses were spaced perfectly apart giving us plenty of time to talk and enjoy our wine in between and the service was exactly the same high level as we’d experienced at Gusto before; the staff were very friendly, helpful and polite.
Having eaten at Gusto in Manchester we already had a good idea of the quality of food and level of service we could expect and after eating at Gusto, Cheadle Hulme, our opinions haven’t changed; impressive surroundings, good food and good service. We both enjoyed eating from the Christmas Menu at Gusto, Cheadle Hulme and would definitely go back there again but given the option, next time we’d choose from the A-la-Carte menu as this is where we feel Gusto excels.
If you’re looking for somewhere with a great feel and lively atmosphere for a night out or for a Christmas meal with friends or colleagues then Gusto, Cheadle Hulme would be ideal. Parking was easy and if you decide you’d rather enjoy the Christmas cocktails then there’s a train station a few minutes walk away.
We were lucky on this occasion as our meal and drinks at Gusto were complimentary but the cost of the three course dinner (from the Christmas Menu but excluding drinks) is £29.95pp. They also offer a two course lunch (£19.95pp) and a three course lunch (£24.95pp) both from the Christmas Menu.
Gusto Cheadle Hulme’s Christmas Menu is available from the 1st December and you can find the website and Menus here. If you’d rather speak to someone at the restaurant you can ring them: 0161 485 3028.
If you’ve eaten at Gusto Restaurant & Bar in Cheadle Hulme or you’ve got any questions about our meal there then you can get in touch, I’d love to hear from you – leave a comment in the box below or email me using the link in the side menu.
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