Gino D'Acampo Newcastle, Group Dining

As much as I wanted to enjoy my first experience at one of Gino's restaurants, I was unfortunately disappointed by what I suspected would be mediocre food with mediocre service. The menu was uninspiring - some classic Italian dishes you'd expect from any retail chain so I opted for a cheeseburger simply because I thought that's always going to be good. Sadly not, the brioche bun was heavily charred with grill lines, the bland patty overcooked and the cheese slice burnt to a husk. The lettuce and tomato that would usually be in the burger were served on the side and the tomatoes weren't the freshest. Even the chips were undercooked and the side of spinach I ordered in an attempt to balance my meal was literally just wilted spinach with no flavour. I should mention that my server never asked how I'd like my burger cooked and with retrospect, I could have volunteered that I like them a bit pink but it slipped my mind when ordering. I would have said something to the team had someone come to check on me but they didnt, even though I tried signalling to 2 different members of wait staff, I just couldn't get their attention. It was busy in the restaurant and after travelling to Newcastle from London that day, and waiting to enjoy a meal before bed, I didn't have the energy to wave someone down and send food back. Sadly like most celeb restaurants, this feels all style and no substance. The score balanced out a bit because it was clearly busy and I was dining alone but still, I spent 60 quid on 2 courses, a side and 2 drinks so would have liked this to be better.