I dined in a cave at Bar Gigi in Nottingham — it was a unique and magical experience
The Italian restaurant has a wine cellar and caves hidden underground...
There are so many different places to dine in Nottingham — but none of them are quite like the Cantine dell’Angelo wine cellar and caves at Bar Gigi.
I was invited to head down, look around the wine cellar, and try the five-course olive oil taster menu created by head chef Connor Robson, which features Bar Gigi’s own extra virgin olive oil.
For those searching for special restaurants around Nottingham to visit that are sure to impress, Bar Gigi is a beautiful option both above ground and underground. For more features and reviews, subscribe to The Notts Edit to receive our articles in your inbox for free.
Olive oil taster menu at Bar Gigi: restaurant review
By Eve Smallman
Photos by Tom Platinum Morley
Considering that we are a City of Caves, it’s surprising that there really aren’t that many places that you can actually dine in. One of the few places in the city centre where you can do this is the Italian restaurant Bar Gigi, which is located just off Old Market Square.
The wine cellar and caves Cantine dell’Angelo aren’t open all the time, but they are for special occasions such as wine tasting, party hires, and for taster menus like the olive oil tasting menu. The latter is what I went for. When I first heard about it, I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect — could it really go with food both savoury and sweet?
Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the dishes created by head chef Connor Robson, who spoke incredibly passionately about the olive oil and the thought that went into each of them. Each dish was crafted with Bar Gigi’s own extra virgin olive oil, which is harvested by hand and cold pressed in Manoppello, Italy.
Heading inside the wine cellar and caves themselves was such a special experience. Walking around and seeing walls lined with wine bottles, twinkling fairy lights, and luscious leaves was magical. The founder of the wine cellar and caves Angelo Trivigno showed us around and told us about people booking the caves out for romantic dinners. What a swoon-worthy, stunning location for wining and dining.
After having a look around, Connor Robson talked through the experience of making the olive oil in Italy, before presenting the first taste of what was to come. The olive oil ‘olive’ reverse spherification, which was basically olive oil presented as an olive shape, immediately impressed me. It was an explosion of freshness, bitterness, and spiciness, and set the scene beautifully.
From here, I headed down into the dining area for the rest of the dinner, which was filled with classic Italian dishes elevated with clever olive oil touches and style. These included grilled house focaccia, compressed tomato with burrata and tomato consomme, and proper gnocchi with sweet pepper sauce and spinach, which were all packed with flavour and balanced the strong olive oil taste.
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My two favourite dishes of the night were the orange-infused beetroot with confit fennel and olive oil caviar (the meat option was sea bass), and the olive oil ice cream with pistachio and biscotti crumb. I have never had beetroot that tasted so sharp and succulent, which was enhanced by the beetroot and vermouth reduction. The olive oil caviar was also super fun to eat as it popped in the mouth.
And then the ice cream was silky smooth and sweet, but still with the punchy olive oil within it and drizzled on top of it. The biscotti broke up the texture with an impactful crunch. I could have easily had another portion of this, but that’s because I was left hungry — the five courses were all the right size and filling.
If you’re looking for a unique dining experience in Nottingham, Bar Gigi’s wine cellar and caves has to be one of the dreamiest destinations in the city. The food is just as gorgeous as the setting, and will leave your stomach and senses feeling truly satisfied.
The next Olive Oil Tasting Experience at Bar Gigi is on August 28. bargigi.co.uk/olive-oil-tasting-experience
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