Duo behind successful restaurant Gusto open new village venture

The duo behind an acclaimed Italian restaurant in Hull have announced they have sold the business and launched a new venture.

Alex Stothard and Gianpaul Redolfi, who jointly owned Gusto in Newland Avenue, had nine years at the heart of Hull’s food scene.

They have now sold the Gusto business and have opened a new Italian restaurant – Villa d’Este, inspired by the UNESCO World Heritage Site and 16th century villa in Tivoli, near Rome – at the former Black Horse pub in Ellerker, near Brough in East Yorkshire.

Stothard said: “Since opening Gusto in Newland Avenue, we’ve had an incredibly successful nine years. It reached the point where we realised we’d out-grown the premises and needed to expand.

“Our new venture, Villa d’Este, will allow us to fulfil that ambition in an incredibly desirable location in East Yorkshire.

“We’ve got some exciting plans for the new venture and we can’t wait to welcome both our loyal customers and new diners to Villa d’Este.”

Villa d’Este is now open and features exclusively handmade, fresh pasta dishes and pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven. A selection of fresh fish and meat dishes are also on the menu.

Main dishes include fresh fillet of sea bream, pan fried and served over a Caponata of aubergine, capers, olives, tomato and pinenuts.

Also on the menu is chicken breast with spicy salami, roast peppers and Taggiasche olives, and beef fillet steak with rocket leaves and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.

Pizza toppings include Tuscan sausage, squid, Italian ham, artichokes, wild mushroom, sauteed aubergine and fresh clams.

Redolfi said moving to the former Black Horse in Ellerker has enabled them to expand their offering to customers.

He said: “The amount of space we had at Gusto meant we weren’t able to do the wood-fired pizzas, which we think will be a big bonus to guests at Villa d’Este.

“We’ve also created an outdoor seating area, which is something else we’ve not previously been able to do, and also have the benefit of car parking space.

“The restaurant has a modern, contemporary feel – a little bit different to the more rustic aesthetic customers at Gusto may be used to.”