Gigi's

On Friday I dined at Gigi, a contemporary Italian restaurant tucked in the corner of Woodstock Street in Mayfair. Home to the most expensive cocktail in the world, Gigi is a sleek modern restaurant and bar. Unfortunately, despite the promising menu and plush surrounding, I did end up leaving somewhat disappointed.

My starter consisted of salt roasted beetroot accompanied by chargrilled goats' cheese - a light and classic combination yet one which I thought lacked depth and complexity. Both the red and golden varieties of beetroot were served on a beetroot puree which was sweet, earthy and smooth. The goats' cheese puree was mild and mellow, in my opinion not strong enough. The chargrilled portion of goat's cheese had a lovely crust, adding a welcome variation in texture. The course was nice enough, but needed another element - perhaps a vinaigrette or some pickled beetroot to add some acidity to the dish. 

The main course was far better than the starter. I ordered the oven baked octopus which was served with chorizo and creamed sweet corn. I also ordered a side of wilted greens to accompany the dish. The octopus was incredibly tender, well cooked and went very well with the chorizo. The dish was nice but needed a few more elements to elevate it, perhaps something crunchy or crispy to vary the texture.

Finally for pudding was a vanilla panna cotta with strawberries, a wafer thin tuile, sugar work and a berry coulis. The consistency was perfectly creamy and not too firm. The tart coulis cut through the rich and sweet pudding. The sugar work and thin biscuit added the all important crunchy texture, that had been lacking in the previous courses. The desert redeemed a fairly disappointing dining experience, allowing the meal to end on a high note.

While the meal was pleasant, it was not exceptional. Food was very reasonably priced, however I think that the starter and main both missed the mark, as both lacked the depth and variety one would expect in a dish. Furthermore, service was rather slow and an awkward DJ standing in the corner of a relatively small restaurant playing Jamiroquai (whom I love) too loudly, made the whole evening quite bizarre.

Rating: 6.5/10

www.gigismayfair.com/
020 7499 8763
22 Woodstock Street, London, W1C 2AR