Dinner / ££££ / 7/10

Bar Gigi has been on my list of places I have wanted to try since before Christmas. Housed above a clothing boutique on Flying horse walk I had heard good things from respectable diners (well my friend Mhairi, who has impeccable taste). The entrance is right next to 200 degrees coffee and immediately shouts ‘Nottingham Cool’. Edgy, small and secret, a little rough round the edges and unashamedly full of personality (there’s a bright green fiat 500 in the restaurant). Once seated we were given the normal tapas patter recommending the number of dishes and guidance on primi, secondi etc which I appreciate. In the same way I believe all restaurants should be clear about their version of rare, medium and well done with steaks I think helping customers navigate menus is generous and clears up any ambiguity. Don’t get me started on the ‘we bring each dish when it is ready’ BS you get in Wagamamas though. One of a restaurants skills should be staggering cooking start times so all the food arrives at the table together. No one should have to sit there and watch the whole table eat because they unknowingly ordered something that takes longer to cook.

Anyway back to Gigi – the menu was full of promise and we struggled to choose main courses. We settled on the Antipasti Board to share for starter. The Northerner was chuffed to find they sold a wine he loves so ordered a bottle and as it was my birthday I opted for a glass of champagne, both arrived quickly and were perfectly chilled. The antipasti sharing board was impressive, 4 types of cheese, 4 types of meat, bread, olives and roasted vegetables. Although the contents of the board were chilled the flavours of the meats and the cheese smashed through any subtlety. They were big, brash and we only complained about the fact we could have used more bread to balance them slightly.

We struggled to finish the board and asked them to leave it with us as the main courses arrived. First were the scallops – served in their shell for added theatre. Despite being well cooked the flavours were quite ‘muddy’. I couldn’t taste the bergamot and only got the slightest hint of miso. They were a little gritty as well which was disappointing.

Next arrived the Parmesan pillows, Tomato Carpaccio and Raddichio salad. Added to the order for palate cleansing freshness the salad had bursts of orange that lifted the bitterness of the leaves, the added earthiness from the seeds resulted in a well balanced and enjoyable dish. The tomato carpaccio lacked the seasoning it needed to make the tomatos sing, either that or the out of season, cold February night did them no favours. I am sure served on a sunny day they would be perfect but they fell a little flat.

The highlight of the meal was the Parmesan Pillows – they were delicious, we should have ordered 2 portions (not being the kind to get bored of ‘too much of a good thing’). The salty cheese and light potato left us both eyeing the last one wondering if politeness dictated we hold back.

The meat/fish dishes then arrived and I realised I should probably have left a few of the other dishes so we could dip into a mouthful of this one, a mouthful of that. 1 day I will learn. I loved the Hake, the nutty crumb and artichoke surrounding it contrasting beautifully with the well cooked fish. The Northerner was not so keen.

It was a case of vice versa for the Pork ribs, I found the sauce a bit too watery and the ribs fiddly to eat. The flavours of ketchup and plum were elusive. The Northerner really enjoyed them and so we claimed our favourites and ate past the point of comfort.

I finished with a ‘Gigimisu’ – their eponymous take on the Italian classic and they must have read my Rudy’s review. The sponge was soaked in enough coffee and alcohol to sink a ship. Just the way I like it. Happy birthday to me (quite literally).

By this point we’d both had a little too much wine and so decided on a game of ‘Guess the bill’ (a homage to ‘The Trip’) as The Northerner summoned his best Irish accent and asked me to guess the price there was a dawning realisition that this had been a lot more expensive than I realised. Those small plates and sides – they add up. We had a bottle of wine and 2 glasses of champagne as well but the total came to £180ish pounds. I sobered up a little, the food and service were some way short of the cost. I wanted to love Bar Gigi and I doubt my opinion will limit it’s success but I don’t think I would choose to visit again, it isn’t a good sign when the bill is the most memorable part of the meal.