It is one of His & Hers’ favourites haunts. We made our way through shiny wet streets, heavy rain dropping like autumn leaves. It felt good to be inside INNSiDE, the beautiful hotel that houses Gino’s restaurant and Gino’s 360 Sky Bar with its spectacular views of the waterfront and Liverpool city centre.

Feature by Jean Hill

The restaurant is on the ground floor. It is an open plan, stylish space, light wood and turquoise upholstery setting the tone alongside a state of the art bar. The lighting is subtle and the space large enough to afford privacy for intimate dining and large tables for group events.

Gino’s staff (all the ones we chatted with) love working in the restaurant. That must be something to do with the Mediterranean vibe, imagined sunny vistas and Gino, of course.

The new autumn/winter menu (lunch and early evening) lifts the spirits wonderfully. Three courses comes in at £28.50, which is good value for quality culinary fare, with a complimentary Prosecco. I chose bruschetta with heritage tomato and basil for my starter: great crunch with natural flavours. Our editor chose chicken liver pȃté, which she assured me was an absolutely sumptuous, smooth delight. 

The mains were perfect in their different ways. Wild mushroom risotto, Porcini mushrooms, truffle oil, garlic and thyme was pure comfort food with a rich, creamy risotto. The salmon fillet with spinach and creamy vermouth definitely had the wow factor. I would never have thought to include vermouth in the mix, but it so complemented the flavour of the salmon.

There should not have been room for dessert, but… Baileys panna cotta, expresso, caramel and Amaretti biscuit combined a rich, slightly wobbly, smooth, alcohol infused dessert with the crunch of biscuit with Amaretti hit. Works for me.

The service was great. Thank you Jan for taking such good care of us. Looking forward to the next time.

It might have still been raining when we left. I have no recollection of it. We carried a warm glow with us and the world felt like a better place for having spent such a lovely evening at Gino’s Mediterranean restaurant. Much recommended.  

https://ginorestaurants.com/our-restaurants/old-hall-street-liverpool/

From the archives: Interview with Gino D’Acampo at the 360 Sky Bar Liverpool, Old Hall Street.