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Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
1:45 PM 8th August 2020
lifestyle

Dining Al Fresco At Gino’s In Hull

 
The popularity of celebrity chefs in the UK appears not to be waning. If you add a personality like Gino D’Acampo too then it is hard not to drawn in. He has given his name to a growing chain of restaurants that has branches in Harrogate, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester amongst others.

The Hull restaurant in particular has the advantage of having the space to hold a large improvised garden area so that you can dine outside al fresco as if back in Italy.

The restaurant might be on a retail park but then again so many good Italian restaurants I have dined at in Italy have been located next to the cities hyper market.

Italians do not seem to mind where some of their restaurants are situated, in fact a famous fast food chain has a large majority of its restaurants located at a petrol station in Italy.

The sun was shining and the weather was more akin to southern Italy than Hull when we decided to visit. It was not even one of the 'Eat Out to Help out' days either when we visited, but due to the popularity of being able to eat out in the vast socially distanced garden area, business was very brisk.

When I have visited the Gino restaurants previously most of the staff were from Italy which give it an authentic feel, perhaps they had all gone home due to the virus as I observed that most of the people working there appeared to come from the UK.

On arrival your temperature is scanned and contact details taken. We were then taken to the large garden area that comes with the carpet grass, the wooden tables and chairs all looked new too.

Fantastico Board
Fantastico Board
If you want a taste of Italy the Fantastico sharing board is a meal in itself. Take some Parma Ham, Coppa Di Parma, Bresaola, Salame Napoli, Buffalo Mozzarella, Pecorino, Buffalo Ricotta, Olives, Chargrilled Baby Artichokes, Sun Dried Tomatoes along with a small bread board it was as tempting as a gondola ride along the Grand Canal in Venice. Priced at £24.95 it would be good to enjoy with a cocktail.

Marinated and Grilled Chicken Pizza
Marinated and Grilled Chicken Pizza
My Marinated and Grilled Chicken pizza was as good as any I have eaten in Italy, though I’m not too sure if the chicken had been grilled. Italians never put chicken on a pizza so this was definitely aimed at the English market.

Sea Bass
Sea Bass
My dining partners chose the Sea Bass that came with the Italian salsa and lemon which was said to be delicious whilst the Fish Skewers with Spicy Tartare sauce with barbecued Swordfish, Calamari and King Prawns were rated high quality, not bad coming from a fellow chef.

Fish Skewers with Spicy Tartare Sauce
Fish Skewers with Spicy Tartare Sauce
The dessert menu had been depleted somewhat from the previous day.

I adored the Tiramisu whilst the Cherry and Amaretto Tart my partner had was said to be delicious, though when I tried the vanilla ice cream that came alongside, it tasted very bland which you would not expect when everything else we had tasted was as good as it does in Italy.

Panna CottaPanna Cotta
Cherry and Amaretto Tart with Vanilla icecreamCherry and Amaretto Tart with Vanilla icecream


When restaurants are busy, service can be slow and that was the case here as more diners came to enjoy the Al Fresco experience.

I always think food tastes better when eaten outside. Along with the food the main draw is the outdoor dining area.

If you need a post lockdown treat, it is an ideal place to visit and with the restaurant taking part in the 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme it is even more reason to go - or as Gino himself might say - Fantastico!

Gino D’Acampo My Restaurant, Kingswood Retail Park, Althorpe Road, Hull HU7 3DA
Telephone 01482 820666

https://ginodacamporestaurants.com/myrestaurant/myrestaurants/hull/