Gusto E'

A long read, but worth it.... I wish to make it very clear that I have not dined at Gusto e, however I have experienced the work of the Chef Philly D'Uvo at Belfast Boat Cub in Stranmillis. Ironically I went having pre ordered a vegetarian pasta dish and having read Joris Minne's glowing review in the Belfast Telegraph. I was not prepared for the sequence of events that followed......! Firstly, my table was served some twenty five minutes after the service began, and my vegetarian dish amidst the sea of festive tukey & ham came fifteen minutes after that. The food was inedible, cold and unappealing. At this point I sought the waitress and explained my problem, she took the dish away, and then some time later she returned the same plate to me. It had been re-heated and had acquired a rubber like texture. I was starving, everyone in the dining room had finished and I had not eaten, and nobody seemed to care about the akward chap who ordered the vegetarian meal. I then personally took the sorry dish into Philly D'Uvla's kitchen and complained. Some time later the dessert course was served, I had no appetite for Cassata having had no main course, and I did not eat it it. Then, I endured the wrath of Philly! She stormed up to my table like a culinary diva, she tore strips off me for daring to take issue with the food and the service and for entering her kitchen to complain. I did not react, she went away and thanks to some excellent jazz, I made the most of the remainder of the night. Needless to say I complained to Philly (via social media & via Delizia email) only to have revealed to me that one of the planks of her anger was that I scared her nine year old daughter who was being child minded in the working kitchen on the night in question! I was alarmed that the management of BBC would permit this to happen as a matter of course. I then set to an official complaint via Belfast Boat Club management. I initially sent an email which resulted in a telephone conversation with the General Manager. At this point I would prefer not to divulge the "nuts & bolts" of this conversation, but I was left with the distinct feeling that the BBC management backed their Professional chef and that my complaint was an overreaction, and that my entering Philly's kitchen justified all that followed. Having been effectivley "sidelined" by the General Manager of BBC, I then diverted my complaint to the people who organised the otherwise excellent function. These people appear to have encouraged the General Manager to reflect on the incident, its background and its potential implications, and at time of writing I await the written response of the General Manager after a period of reflection. This result in a definative decision on the quality of the food, the efficincy of the service, on the legalities of allowing a minor into a working kitchen, and on BBC's policy on how a chef should react to a complaint. As I write it is Wednesday 18th December 2019.... Despite requesting a written response from the General Manager of Belfast Boat Club on 17th December 2019, I have not received this reply (but, as alluded to earlier) the General Manager of Belfast Boat Club may require more time to reflect on the situation, having listened to the organiser of the function and accepting that the new caterers may not have adapted to the unique demands of Belfast Boat Club, its members and its cliantale. I will undertake to inform you of the outcome once the matter has been fully resolved. Thank you for reading EJM