Italians are passionate about their food and non more than Gino D’A Campo. His ultimate passion for food is reflected in the menu of his Leeds restaurant at the Marriott Hotel.

The menu created by the master himself reflects the soul and character of Italey’s different regions and certainly expresses his passion for the Italian dishes on the menu. He has created  a piece of Italy in the centre of the city and there’s no doubt about it it’s the best Italian restaurant in town! Why because it serves Italian food as it should be using.

Designed with a Neopolitan flair as you step through the heavy wooden doors you could be stepping into an opulent and glamorous restaurant on the far-away shores of the Mediterranean.

The restaurant seating has been perfectly choreographed so as to give space and privacy to diners and the tables are adorned with crisp white table cloths, sparkling glasses and highly polished cutlery.

It was a very warm evening when we arrived at Ginos and we were seated near the floor to ceiling windows which overlook the terrace it was hard to imagine with all the foliage and plants around us and on the terrace that we were right in the very centre of the city.

This restaurant is blessed with a very professional staff that extends from the manager to the servers and bar staff. They are knowledgeable, polite and unpretentious and although it sounds like a cliché they cannot do enough for their guests.

One thing we love about this restaurant is the fact  you are not rushed in any way to make your menu choice and everything is done at a leisurely pace.

We decided to order the Gino’s Antipasti sharing board – Stuzzichini  and we totally bowled over when it arrived on a three tier tray or treat ladder as its known. It was the perfect dish as we had plenty of gossip to swap and this gave us the opportunity to leisurely mix and match our bite sized portions.

The selection was amazing and very impressive with a selection of meats, breads and cheeses. There was Parma ham, coppa di Parma, Bresaola, Salae Natpoli, Buffalo Mozzarell, Pecorino Romano, Buffalo Ricotta, and the most juice giant Apulian Cerignola olives plus chargrilled baby artichokes, semi-dried tomato and freshly baked Italian Breads.

Main course here is always a difficult choice and we both chose from the new dishes on the Summer Menu.  I decided on the Pancia Di Maiale Alla Piemontese which for me was the best main course I have ever tasted at Ginos.

It consisted of slow cooked crispy pork belly – decades ago this was the cut of the poorer people but it ascended into a fashionable  and must have cut in gourmet and top class restaurants around 15 years ago.

Gino has made a superb dish out of this cut of meat using candied beetroot and roast red onion. The beetroot totally dispels the fatty flavour you sometimes get with this dish as does the roast red onion. The meat was tender and melted in the mouth.  Served with a spinach and watercress salad this is a combination made in heaven.

My colleague chose a pasta dish Trofie Al Salmone Affumicato. The dish came piping hot and the portion was very generous. This was made with a twisted pasta from Ligria with a plentiful portion of smoked salmon, asparagus, lemon and a creamy mascarpone sauce. The sauce was very tasty and flavoursome ideal for summer dining and the flavours mingled well together.

Enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of Ginos Dolci (Dessert) was our next decision to make. Again I ordered from the summer menu Profiterole Siciliani. This was certainly my heaven on a plate. This giant profiterole was filled with panna gelato and decorated with freshly grated dark chocolate and pistachio cream. It was a lovely light sweet – perfect for a summer evening.

My colleague couldn’t resist her favourite Tiramisu which she always says no one does better than Gino – but that’s an apt description of the whole menu of dishes.

Open: Mon to Thurs and Sunday 12.00 to 11pm. Fri/Sat 12noon-12midnight

Gino D’Acampo Restaurant Leeds, 6-8 Board Lane, Leeds LS1 6EN

Tel: 0113 468 0804. Web: https://ginorestaurants/ourrestaurants/boar-lane-leeds.

Why not join Ginos Rewards scheme with many lifestyle, incentives and money back rewards receivef each time you visit. Details: https//ginorestaurants.com.ginosrewards.