The Age Good Food Guide 2010

Owner Allan Parker's passion for foraging the local hills for mushrooms, berries and nuts; and sourcing wine, cheese, meat, fruit and vegetables from local producers. At his restaurant - a historic one time shop - they roast their own coffee, make their own butter and bake their own sourdough. This love of local bounty is balanced with inspiration from the kitchens of southern Europe....

Gourmet Traveller

 Not only is Beechworth blessed with a coterie of exceptional winemakers, it also has a smart and sophisticated restaurant that knows how to showcase them. You’ll find mini-verticals of local stars such as Savaterre and Giaconda plus plenty of compelling choices from further afield

As Good as Gold

Gigi's has, under new management, begun to veer away from its Italian heritage but not its quality. There's pork belly, ox cheek and what is surely Australia's longest list of Giaconda wines. Contact 5728 2575, 69 Ford Street.Andrew BainSydney Morning Herald

Savour Awards For Excellence

Who would expect to see such a food lover in a small unassuming restaurant in country Victoria?

The owner evidently loves what he does, which is demonstrated through the innovative menu, the local wines available

and the local produce used. The pigeon was succulant the dessert desirable and even the coffee is sourced and of

perfect taste and quality

Essentials Magazine

Winter 2008

Gigi's Of Beechworth - Dine With Love And Devotion
When you’ve lost the one-and-only, no one else compares. Everything around you is reduced to its own quintessence by default, and only metaphors of love and heartbreak will do. At Gigi’s, you can dine and drink accordingly.              When I give romance the thumbs down, Gigi’s owner Allan Parker responds without hesitation, ‘I’ll get you a glass of wine, sweetheart.’ Pouring me a St Johns Road ‘Julia’ Greenock shiraz — ‘It’s got leather, tobacco — all the good stuff’ — he then asks if I’d like to see the menu, or, ‘Would you just like us to feed you?’ In certain circles, leaving your meal to the ‘chef’s discretion’ is seen as pretentious, especially if the diner requests it. However, Allan’s offer has a bacchanalian lilt, with a note of devil-may-care — like the cigarchomping dominatrix, under whose tutelage the high court judge for once isn’t obliged to make a decision — and I accept immediately....

The Age - Epicure - Espresso

August 14th 2007

A shot of new blood has revitalised the one-time prominent Beechworth restaurant Gigi's, which had fallen into a malaise under a series of chefs in recent years. (Luigi "Gigi" Cipolato sold the restaurant last year.) Problem solved: newish owner Allan Parker (pictured below with staff) is a chef with 13 years under his belt at restaurants including the well-regarded Ricky Ricardo's, in Noosa, and Saltwater in the same town. However, at Gigi's, Parker, who used to own the Beechworth House bed and breakfast, is settling into the role of restaurateur. In the kitchen, he has chef Megan Chalmers, who was at Middle Brighton Baths between Barry Vera and John Lepp, and the opening head chef at Vera, Brighton. "I don't know what you would call our style of food," says Parker. "We cook what we know. Italian and French influences are obvious but our passion is cooking." The "house-made" label applies to Gigi's sourdough, pasta, charcuterie, prosciutto, mascarpone and ricotta. And they roast coffee. Throwing in a timely refit, Gigi's becomes a potentially valuable string to the increasingly attractive Beechworth bow.