If you ask someone that’s been to Gusto on The Parade, you’ll get varying opinions. Having already eaten at their sister restaurant on Hutt Street, I already knew what to expect in terms of food. The menu is set out like an authentic Italian restaurant with antipasti, pasta, risotto, mains and wood oven pizza. Don’t confuse this place with the numerous eateries along The Parade that serve the same cuisine, as Gusto is more upmarket.

Like most eateries along The Parade, the dining space is a large open plan area with the bar and counter area to one side. The bi-fold doors at the front add plenty of light and ventilation, and it provides good flow into the outdoor seating area. The outdoor area is undercover and there are shades to protect you from the elements.

For dinner, I ordered the Linguine Con Granchio (crab meat linguine) which contains blue swimmer crab meat, tomato, cream, white wine, chilli and garlic. I’ve ordered this same dish at their sister restaurant, and without being too cynical, I was expecting the same faults. Noting that the restaurant was only a third full, the meals took 40 minutes to arrive, which was a bit long in my opinion. I expect meals to be at my table at around the 15 to 20 minute mark unless people are having entrees.

When the dish arrived, it was beautifully presented and the serving size was very generous, in fact, double the portion size of their sister restaurant. I was amazed at the amount of crab meat in this dish and not a single crab shell was to be found! The crab meat was sweet and juicy, and there was lots of meat in every bite. The red tomato based sauce was thick, creamy and full of flavour, while the linguine was cooked to perfection. The last perfect crab meat linguine that I had was at Enzo’s, and that’s arguably Adelaide’s best Italian restaurant. I was thoroughly impressed with this dish.

My friend had the Frutti Di Mare (fruit of the sea) and was equally as impressed.

The staff were friendly, although the service was a bit average. Our drinks were forgotten, it took a while for our orders to be taken and then our food took a long time to get to us. Other than that, the whole experience was top notch. Both of our mains were $29.50, which was well worth it considering the quality and portion sizes of each dish.

If you’ve got plenty of time on your hands, why not come here for a meal?

WHERE: 121 The Parade, Norwood