With the PR machine still in overdrive, our critic waited for the ‘hard’ opening to check out the brand new 180-seater Gloria Osteria on Westmoreland Street
Lobster and caviar spaghettoni. Photo: Lucinda O’Sullivan
Every so often a new restaurant lands in our fair city (generally a branch of an international group) and it’s treated like the arrival of the messiah, with a pre-opening flurry of ‘influencers’, ‘first look’ features and all the rest of the hoopla that comes out of powerful PR companies. Of course I get the invitations to participate, but do I really want a ‘hard hat’ tour of the fit-out with a meet and greet of the builders and designers or, in the case of the new Gloria Osteria, a jaunt to Italy to meet the food producers, a party for 600 eager beavers queuing to get in, and a “behind-the-scenes sneak peek at Gloria, a few pints and a toastie with some of the Big Mamma team”? Like hell I do. The only thing that matters is how they perform when they open their doors to Joe Public.
So, following the seven-day soft opening and feeling a tad like the wicked witch, as I did with Hawksmoor, as I hadn’t already crossed their doorstep, I set off for Westmoreland Street.