gusto at the grand

my favorite italian restaurant... i perceived it to be the best in auckland. sheek and street style italian place.

warm vibrant and relaxed ambience... love therestaurantdecor too. service is good could be wee bit better. i have been to this place couple of times with friends.

fancy the elaborate choices of wines especially from italy. love the pasta especially the gnocchi and ravioli preparations. and oh the desserts love zupa inglese and tiramisu etc.

a must go dine in place.

came here for dinner mid week.restaurantwas busy and had good friendly vibe. could not fault the service which was friendly, informed and attentive. we started with olives and cold meats with a good glass of chianti.
these were excellent and was the chunks of parmesan that accompanied them.
the main was duck ragu with papardelle and the pasta was like silk, the duck soft and melt in the mouth gorgeous.

a small whiskey to finish off - a small criticism here - not a wide range of single malts in an international hotel but only a small gripe.

overall a very good meal and we will be back.

gusto (pronounced guh-stoh, definitely not goose-toh) at the grand is sean connolly’s latestrestaurantin the skycity complex (after the superb the grill). gusto is marketed as a cucina (italian for kitchen) and bar, and is the renowned chef’s take on a rustic italian restaurant. they have a pasta station where if you’re lucky you can see the deft chefs at work, and there is a parmagiano-reggiano wheel taking centre stage where delicious morsels are cut from. bl and i took my mum here as we wanted somewhere where we could talk (tick), great service (tick), nice ambience (tick), and above average food (sort-of tick).

we started with the pork veal meatballs which was served with tomato sauce and pecorino ($12). while this was tasty, we have been spoilt by some very excellent meatballs at other establishments, and found the sauce not savoury enough and the meatball slightly rubbery. the fried calamari ($21) was tender, but on the oily side and the garlic aioli was bland and unmemorable.

the next two dishes were excellent though. the linguini fruits of the sea ($29) was beautiful; perfectly al dente fresh pasta, and perfectly cooked and seasoned fresh seafood. and the hapuka tail saltimbocca ($42) lived up to the hype. the sage, capers and prosciutto lifted the taste of the succulent hapuka. this is a huge dish, which the three of us struggled to get through.

disappointedly, the chocolate fondant was undercooked and cold in the centre. as with an establishment of this calibre, once we told the staff, the apologies was swift and genuine, and the price was taken off the final total.

i loved the surroundings, décor and service. so many places are too cramped with poor acoustics, it was great to go somewhere and be able to have a conversation. the food was good, but could have been better.

the food was excellent, we started with the mussels, and moved on to lamb cutlets, snapper and the king prawns, the duck fat roasted potatoes were awesome. the food service was excellent and well timed. staff are very friendly and helpful. therestauranthas a nice atmosphere, and is not over the top. all in all, a good evening out.

the back story : i first encountered gusto when visiting skycity grand hotel. mesmerised by its grand decor, the chandeliers outside and the spacious open planrestaurantsetting, i was tempted to try this. located in the old premises of dine by peter gordon, it has retained its classy decor and grand interior, and with the name sean connolly attached to the food - i made it my next place to visit for a dinner out.

setting: walking through the revolving doors of skycity grand, i am taken into a world of luxury with chandeliers from the ceiling, floral art on the walls then at the end, a bright sign proudly announcing gusto. i was tempted. past the white pillars with green ivy vine lay the spacious interior of gusto. we are promptly taken to a table along the wall with brown leather looking seats. our wait staff enthusiastically introduced the menu.

food: tapas style dishes litter the menu from the cheapest item on the menu - the house bread- to more substantial items of meatballs, eggplant and calamari. fresh handmade pasta dishes are the signature dishes here though other scrumptious sounding options of baby chicken , beef brisket and lamb cutlets are on offer. we end up ordering the calamari and pork and veal meatballs with a garlic pizetta on the side. the meatballs did not disappoint - juicy and flavoursome in a tomato sauce with cheese. the calamari was crispy though slightly on the salty side. the pizetta was presented in a cute little pizza box though the serving size was probably a bit small for price especially considering how much bread we got for the house bread - which was definitely value for money. all in all the entrees were great. next were the mains - baby chicken, king prawns, slow cooked beef brisket and the duck ragu pappardelle. unfortunately these were less convincing. although the beef brisket was very tender - melting in the mouth - as was the baby chicken - both lacked the spark in flavour to bring it up a notch. there also seemed to be a preponderance of parsley in the dishes - either in the form of gremolata or as garnish - parsley was a noticeable part of all the dishes! the winning main this time was the pappardelle and judging from other reviews, it would have been safer to stick to the pasta dishes. the chicken was pink towards the bones; and whilst we were reassured it was perfectly safe - i didn't want to risk it. this was handled very well though and gusto wins points in that regard in handling feedback. the chicken was swiftly replaced by another dish of our choosing after checking with the chef. and although the mains were not as exceptional as the entrees - we did end up with a happy ending with delicious desserts. my pick here is definitely the nutella bomboli - warm crunchy sugar coated donuts filled with nutella oozing out from the centre. i couldn't help but have more - and for $10 it's a steal. definitely could come back just for the bomboli!

occasion : for a fine dining night out where atmosphere and service is high on the want list or for a group wanting the opportunity to share dishes. a bit of a mixed review on the food but there were definitely signature dishes that were done well. would have scored a 4 at least otherwise.

revisit potential : 8/10

was a lovely place to dine in. we had a longer wait than expected for our main courses however i thought the staff were friendly and therestaurantlooked very clean and tidy. this place has a great atmosphere to bring a first date too.

celebrated my 20th birthday at gusto at the grand after checking out their appealing menu. therestaurantwas very fancy and the interior was beautiful so it’s definitely a good place to celebrate special occasions. the service was excellent, our waiter was attentive, gave us great service and suggested to explain the menu which we declined as it was pretty straight forward.

as a starter, the 4 of us got an order of garlic and rosemary pizzetta ($9) and house made ricotta with honey and pine nuts ($15). i highly recommend you get these two starters as the sweet ricotta blended really well with the garlic flavour from the bread. the only downside is the way the pizzetta is served in a cardboard box. as a main, my dad and i got the duck and pea ragu pappardelle ($34). it was slightly salty according to him but i found it perfectly seasoned as the peas added some sweetness to combat the saltiness. the pasta was cooked to perfectly al dente and i enjoyed every bite of my meal. my mum got the crab risotto ($35) and i tried a bit of it. the crab flavour was definitely there and again, the rice was not overcooked but al dente. my brother got the clams spaghetti ($37) which i didn’t get to try but he said it was far too salty for him.

lastly, i was really happy to get a special gift from therestaurantas i indicated on the booking that it was my birthday. it was a sponge cake that was a bit sour and it was really delicious!

highly recommend gusto at the grand!

i have been to thisrestaurantin valentine's day. i ordered a scallop risotto with green beans. the scallop is fresh and yummy. the risotto is well cooked and tasted very rich and smooth i enjoy it very much. the waiters there are very helpful.

i feel like i need to give this a 5 star because it's really fancy?? but also they did a fantastic job splitting the bill like 10 ways so that was the most impressive part.restaurantis nice, it's the dim kind of setting which is good for a romantic set up.
plenty of vegeterian options and food was absolutely delicious. if you go on your bday they give you free dessert ( another reason why you got a 5 ). staff are professional and seem pleasant. overall a good dining experience

beautiful italianrestaurantwith handmade pasta. we tried therestaurantmonth deal and loooved their pizzetta with sweet ricotta and honey! the pappardelle with bolognese was also quite tasty. the meal was filling and the vibes are great for either a business lunch/dinner or friend's gathering. :)

excellent authentic italianrestaurantat sky city grand
classy presentation
top quality staff as expected
the food is quite delightful
not your usual pizza and pasta
if you like quality italian cuisine this is the place for you
worthy addition to the federal st precinct

we came here for therestaurantmenu. a small pizette with ricotta and honey for entree. an interesting start but everyone on the table loved it. the flavours were perfect.
the pasta was also surprisingly good. a wide sheet pasta and a bolognese sauce.
we managed to finish all the food and one drink each.
definitely a bargain for $25. wine is included too but you can swap it out for a non alcoholic drink.

visited for dinner on friday night, wasnt too busy. waiting staff & waitresses were very kind except 1 asian lady who doesnt know what she is doing. we were able to taste the wine before order so its a good point. we ordered house made bread, calamari, scampi, oysters, cloudy bay clam spaghetti, eye fillet, king prawn, 2 glass of red wine, apple juice. house made bread was complete rubbish - must avoid. never seen any italianrestaurantserving few days old cold bread as their house bread. oyster was fresh but too many pieces of broken shell (sharp pieces) in the oyster - obviously no eye for detail in the kitchen. scampi was very fresh and served nicely. after scampi was finished, the asian waitress came to collect it, she asked us to chuck scampi shells from our plate to the main plate to take away but she did not change our wet plates for a new course which is ridiculous, especially after raw seafood. we had to call other waitress to change our plates. spaghetti was well seasoned and was al dente which was perfect and clams were fresh, but the dish was too juicy, spaghetti was almost soaked in liquid - little more time over a pan would have been much nicer but taste was almost perfect on this dish. grass fed eye fillet ordered medium cook - poor grade meat with very strong tendon which is ridiculous for grass fed eye fillet (must be a wrong cut) and bloody on the dish - we left 1/3 of this dish although it was $47. king prawn was nicely cooked but the ham wrapped around the prawn was a bit too salty to get along with the prawn. prawns have their own aroma and naturally salty - would be nicer with white wine or if they used less salty ham. overall, chefs need more training to details and seasoning. they put too much rock salt on almost every dish and their house bread is shockingly poor quality - they should feel shameful on this. italian lady waitress was very nice, kind and also very attentive. although the asian lady on friday night 30/6/2018 almost disgusted us with her arrogant face and attitude. total bill $268 for 3 of us. value for money - i would give 1 star but speaking of food quality and overall service, i would give 3 stars for an italianrestaurantin 5 star hotel. will try them 1 more time again in the future for a new review.

really nice food with very polite and friendly waiters, the waitress who served us was extremely accommodating to us since this was our first time here. they give you hot towels for the prawns because you’ll need to get your hands dirty! therestaurantis dim lighted which makes it rather romantic, but if you want a more lively experience then the counter is a nice spot for you.

my only critique would be that they’re a little disorganised in terms of bringing you the check. a tall brunette girl was told three times the table we were at and it took 5 minutes to get the proper check. other than that no complaints :)

was staying in the hotel and find thisrestaurantvery convenient and elegant to dine in. had lunch here and the staff member was definitely very friendly to assist with our orders. the octopus salad was delicious but everyone’s favourite would be the potatoes baked in duck fat!!