Based on the name, one would presume that Gusto on Hutt and Gusto in Norwood are the same restaurant in different locations. The waitress that I spoke to assured me that the restaurants are their own separate entities with different owners who just happen to be friends. While both places serve Italian cuisine, I was also told that the menu is different and that the offerings at Gusto on Hutt were a bit more gourmet. Having not been to the Norwood Gusto, I was able to obtain their food menu only to find that the menu offerings from the two stores were virtually identical. Coincidentally, the restaurant that was previously at this location was also Italian, and I noticed that some of the original decor had been retained. Not to say that there is anything wrong with the decor, as this place still exudes style and elegance.

For dinner, I ordered the Blue Swimmer Crab Meat Linguine which consisted of tomato, cream, white wine, chilli and garlic. All meals were ready 20 minutes after ordering and my dish was nicely presented. As it was served up in a large white plate, the serving size looked deceptively small, but with the richness of the dish, the portion size was quite satisfying. Mixed in with the perfectly cooked linguine was a nice red tomato based sauce. It had a thick consistency and you could see the chunks of crab meat throughout the dish. The sauce itself tasted kind of bland and there was an absence of any sort of heat coming from the chilli. I also didn’t taste the sweetness associated with blue swimmer crab meat and the presence of crab shells in my dish was very annoying.

Most of the group were very happy with their dishes with the exception of my friend who ordered the Confit Duck Legs. With the first round of this dish, my friend ate a piece of duck which caused her to vomit. This dish was taken back and a new one prepared. The second round wasn’t much better as she said there was sand in her gnocchi. The dish was taken back again and my friend ended up not having any main. I didn’t actually taste any of this so I can only go by what she said. One of the waitresses disputed that there were any issues, but in the end, we weren’t charged for this particular meal.

I was too full from my main to order any dessert, but I was told that they were amazing.

The staff were friendly and the service was good for the most part. Drinks arrived promptly and were constantly refilled, and the plates were cleared as we finished. With the Confit Duck Leg debacle, I could see the waitress getting annoyed at returning the same dish twice. The conversation became a little bit heated, however, I thought the outcome was fair and reasonable. We weren’t charged for that particular main and a free dessert was offered. The atmosphere was relaxed, even with the busy Saturday night dinner rush. The pricing here is slightly higher than average with mains costing between $18-$30. My dish set me back $28.50 which was higher than what it was worth.

Verdict: While this place is only two weeks old, I thought the dishes were hit and miss. My main meal was certainly below average.

WHERE: 173 Hutt St, Adelaide