A new restaurant, Gigi, opened up in Midtown (on N. Miami Ave and 35th Street) advertising “Noodles…BBQ…Beer” all over their windows. Yes, yes and yes, please. Located on the same block as Bardot, Gigi has a really modern, hip feel with high ceilings and a chill atmosphere. I had heard really good things about the food.

All of the items my boyfriend and I ordered were highly recommended by the hostess, server and all the people who raved to me about how great this place is.

We started off with the roasted pork Gigi buns.

This is what showed up. My first thought, “This isn’t a bun..this is like a taco.” But then I tasted it and it was soooo good. The pork and the sauce were really yummy.

Next was the roasted corn with tofu shmeer. 

It looked nice. But I wasn’t that impressed. The tofu shmeer was supposed to mimic butter - I get that. But did it add anything special? No. The seasoning that was on the corn was a little spicy and a little tasty, though.

For the main dish, we shared the slow braised curry duck leg with coconut risotto.

Eh. It wasn’t spectacular. It was just curry. I felt like the duck was lacking that magical element that makes you want to eat more and more. The coconut risotto wasn’t that great of a match either. I felt as if someone was like, “Coconut is good with curry. It will help with the heat. Let’s do it.” It didn’t really work out.

For dessert, we had the Gigi Bar - Ovaltine dusted on a layer of chocolate Bavarian creme which sits on top of a layer of chocolate rice krispies and chocolate.

It was pretty good but nothing mind blowing. And it was tiny. Like it could be consumed in 3 spoonfuls. 

I really, REALLY wanted to like Gigi. I truly did. The space and decor was cool, they are open really late and the prices aren’t crazy. But the food didn’t convince me. I’m willing to give it another try but I hope it’s worth a second chance.