Gusto is a chain of restaurants with branches all over the North of England and a couple in Scotland. They serve a variety of food, mostly British and European. Manchester is fortunate to have three branches within Greater Manchester: City Centre, Didsbury and Cheadle Hulme; the latter two offering a brunch option between 9am – 1pm. Today’s review will focus on the brunch menu at the Didsbury branch!*
Gusto Didsbury Interior
The interior of the Didsbury’s branch of Gusto features wood furniture with a couple of booths and large windows which can open out to an alfresco dining area. I especially like the lighting throughout the restaurant and fairy lights intertwining the fake foliage running across the entrance. The kitchen is an open one so you can see the chefs at work if you wanted to. It was a pleasant atmosphere to sit and wait for blogger and friend, Keeley of Phat Cupcake to arrive.
Drinks
Our host for the morning, Lucy, greeted us warmly and joined us at the table. There are a lot of drinks to choose from, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. I chose one of the fruity iced teas to start off with, a new addition to Gusto’s menu. There are three to choose from:
- Blueberry and lemon
- Orange and passionfruit
- Elderflower and strawberry
I went with the last option, as I love anything with elderflower in it. The flavours were good and not too sweet. I later went for a smoothie named Pash N Shoot, which contains passionfruit (of course), mango and pineapple. If you like very sweet drinks, go for this!
On offer with the brunch menu are two for one cocktails from a selection of three, for every main purchased. A very good option if you like a bit of buzz with your brunch. These are:
- Breakfast Pornstar: Tanqueray Sevilla, Aperol, orange juice, prosecco,
passion fruit, lemon juice (£9.50) - Fresco: Ketel One, apple juice, green apple liqueur, basil, lemon juice (£8.50)
- Torino Bloody Mary: Ketel One, Martini Rubino, tomato juice, honey, basil, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce (£7)
Food
There are a lot of options for brunch, from sweet to savoury, light to heavy and even a couple of options for vegans and those who can’t consume gluten.
Breakfast rosti
Breakfast rosti with ragu and fried egg (£7.95)
Perusing the menu beforehand, I had my mind set on the breakfast rosti. The rosti is cooked with oregano, then topped with their 3-meat, 5-hr slow-cooked ragu and a fried egg. Aesthetically the dish does look distinctly beige, perhaps some oregano on top or a side of spinach would bring a bit more colour to the plate? The hash also looks a little over-charred. The flavour of the ragu was good, but I wish there was more of it. The fried egg was cooked well with perfect runny yolk. This dish can be made gluten-free on request.
Avocado burger
Avocado burger (£8.95)
Lucy ordered this burger as it’s an Instagram favourite. Between two halves of a whole avocado were smoked salmon, rocket, lemon juice, and cream cheese, topped with pumpkin seeds. I don’t mind avocado, but a whole one seemed a bit much for one day. I took my knife and fork to the “burger”, and sliced off a piece. As I had suspected, I found the avocado overwhelming, particularly in conjunction with the cream cheese as they both have a similar consistency. Perhaps this would work better if it was made like an open sandwich with just one half of the avocado? Maybe one for all you avo lovers out there!
Other brunch options
Clockwise from the bottom: Toasted seeded bloomer with Nutella, banana and Amarena cherries (£6.95), Filled pancake with Nutella, mascarpone, chocolate sauce, and ginger crumb (£6.95), Rump steak with two fried eggs and potato rosti (£9.50)
Lucy ordered the toasted seeded bloomer with Nutella, banana and Amarena cherries , which looked absolutely amazing! We also had the filled pancake with Nutella, mascarpone, chocolate sauce, and ginger crumb. This is definitely made for all of you who have a sweet tooth! There are also savoury options for both the bloomer and pancakes.
Keeley ordered the flattened rump steak which was served with two fried eggs and a choice of fries or potato rosti, she went with the latter. To read her opinion of the meal and this particular dish, catch up with her blog at Phat Cupcake!
Overall rating and comments
8/10, -0.5 on the aesthetics of the breakfast rosti, -1 for the portion of the breakfast rosti, I felt I should be more full for the price, -0.5 for the avocado burger being too, avocado-y? (personal preference, some of you may enjoy it). The pricing of some items seem a bit steep, but I largely think this is because of the quality of the ingredients used. I cannot fault the staff; they were really welcoming and attentive.
Would visit again?
Yes, it’s certainly an option. Maybe I’ll try the toasted bloomer that Lucy had or the vegan breakfast next!
Information
Website: http://gustorestaurants.uk.com/
As mentioned, there are several branches of Gusto, but the address for the Didsbury branch is below.
Address: 756 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M20 2DW
Do you like having brunch? Which dish appealed to you the most?
Leave your comments below!
*I was invited to eat at Gusto and did not have to pay for my meal. All opinions are my own.
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