Last Sunday, the boyfriend and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Gusto in Alderley Edge for a bite to eat. We booked a table just a couple of hours ahead, and they had enough space to squeeze us in. We were seated in a beautiful booth right near the window. Perfect for a spot of people-watching and of course, excellent lighting, just in case I got the urge to take any photos of my food… 😉
To start, I decided on the bruschetta. They have 3 bruschetta options in total (impressive), but after a little deliberation I chose the beetroot, red onion and cranberry bruschetta with goat’s cheese and a walnut dressing. The bread was substantial enough for a starter but still light and crispy, which worked really well with the toppings. The goats cheese was also slightly toasted which worked, and the walnut dressing really was delicious. I could have eaten a whole other piece if it were there – not sure what that says about the portion size, as I was particularly ravenous!
Bradley chose the Fritto misto of sardine, prawn and squid with pan fried garlic polenta, green gazpacho and lemon purée. It goes without saying he enjoyed it; he had eaten the entire thing before I had chance to take a photo… 🙂
For the main course, we both decided we fancied a steak. As not to be too greedy, and keep options light, we went for the 28 day-aged flattened rump steak with garlic, chilli, peppercorn, sea salt, rocket and Grana Padano cheese. We shared 3 side orders to bulk it out a little, steamed spinach with sea salt, fries and Italian fried courgettes. The steak was well-cooked, perfectly seasoned and still hot throughout from the griddle. I mention hot throughout as sometimes you find flattened steaks to be a little too cold once they reach the table. It was also melt-in-your-mouth tender and we both ate every last bit. The chilli flakes are also such a good addition, which gives it a subtle but noticeable bit of spice. Yummy.
The sides were also excellent – fries, hot, nice and crispy and the spinach tasted really fresh and was seasoned well with the sea salt. However, it was the Italian fried courgettes which really stole the show. So light, so crispy, seasoned to perfection with the courgette still maintaining it’s slightly bitter flavour inside. A very generous portion too which helps when sharing! The texture and bite remained in the middle of each lightly battered strand. Genius, and the best version of fried courgettes I have ever tasted. Well done, Gusto!
On to puddings, and I decided to keep it stodge-free and simple, so went for this delightful little Ginger panna cotta with confit clementine. I was so pleasantly surprised by this pudding, the panna cotta was perfectly set and you could still see the writing of the mould on the top, which I thought was a nice touch- intentional or not! The panna cotta itself was light and creamy, with prominent ginger and a soft vanilla flavour coming through. It was accompanied by a medley of strawberries and clementines which were sweet but still had a lovely bite to them, which indicated they were nice and fresh. Carefully sprinkled beneath and above them was a crunchy chocolate dusting which added a lovely extra sweetness and texture. Just yummy.
Overall we really enjoyed our meal at Gusto, Alderley Edge and will return no doubt again in the future. We paid full price for our meals – but used their Dining Club card which allowed 20% if booked online, as recommended by M-DOG, Manchester Dining Offers Guide! Thanks, M-DOG!
