Dinner at Gino's, Ealing, London W5

Gino's Restaurant4, The Mall, Ealing, London, W5 2PJ Tel: 020 8567 3681

Other reviews of this restaurant and a map can be found here.

Tonight we had a dinner at Gino's a restaurant in Ealing. Round the corner from Ealing Broadway station. This friendly Italian restaurant offers good authentic Italian food at reasonable prices.

As an aside, I actually wanted to go to my favorite restaurant in Ealing, Lisa's, but we were unable to get a table. In my opinion, Lisa's is the best restaurant I have been to in Ealing, but you do need to make reservations (020 8991 2319). I have not eaten there recently enough to write a review, but I will try to do so on my next visit to the UK.

First courses included whitebait, which came out crispy and were served with wedges of lemon. I asked if I could deviate from the menu, and I had a dish of fagioli beans cooked with wine and prosciutto di Parma. My main course was the risotto, which is made with porcini mushrooms and asparagus. (The porcini mushrooms are not fresh although they are tasty, and I have never found these wonderful fungi fresh outside Italy.) The risotto looks a mess, and Gino's should think about a little cosmetic work on this dish, but the taste is wonderful. Other people in the party had steak and sole. We had zabaglione for dessert, a dish that I have decided I do not like although I think there was nothing wrong with the way in which it was made. Mediocre cappuccino was served at the end of the meal.

We had several bottles of the excellent house white wine and the moderately good house red, which were both priced at about 12 pounds ($21.00). These wines are priced well below other wines on the menu and are quite acceptable.

Dinner for six was 157 UK Pounds ($275). Gino's is a very nice neighborhood restaurant. Reservations are recommended particularly on weekends.