Argentinians have us Brits and other members of the EU to thank for their world renowned beef as afterall it was us who took the cattle to the country in the first place. Little did European explorers know that when they turned their noses up at the humble Argentinian cuisine of potatoes and llama meat and decided to import their own cows, chicken and veggies that they in fact would be building a legacy for Argentina. The Argentinians took that cattle and they ran with it, not in a literal sense, in the sense that they made it into what it is today, some of the finest quality meat ever to be tasted on the planet. The country is a prime spot for producing the quality meat especially considering the fertile plains of the pampas and the subtropical climate across the country.
I've had good argentinian steak at Buen Ayre but I just knew this was going to be really good at Gaucho. Gaucho, by the way, was the name given to the criollo cowboys of Argentina but today it refers to the residents of certain regions of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile and Brazil. Anyhoo, we rocked up to Gaucho and entered a very funky dimly lit bar. We were lead through the bar and down the stairs to the restaurant. Our coats were checked and we taken to our table by a very important looking man dressed all in black pressing one finger to his ear-piece...it may sound pretentious of Gaucho but I love that sort of stuff! Also, as I was to witness, the finger pressing to the ear-piece would be very necessary as the restaurant definately gets very busy and with the sort of clientele that frequent it there needs to be strict military order, of which can only be achieved with finger pressing to an ear-piece!
Now about the restaurant. I could see a long and fiery grill at the back of the restaurant with several chefs bustling around it, this would be for the asado. The decor continued with the funky theme from the bar, the music was modern and hispanic, the chairs were covered with cowhide, the chandeliers were glistening. I liked it.
While choosing our starters and mains (don't fret, I would not be leaving without dessert but that was to be ordered later!) our very friendly and sweet waitress, Monika, brought us a platter to explain the various cuts of meat. She knew what she was talking about and explained where each piece of meat came from and easily responded to my probing foodie questions - which were really a ploy to see if she was just reading from a script, which she wasn't. I love it when the people who work at the restaurant are passionate about the food served, Monika had passion, I liked Monika.
For starters the man ordered from the Ceviche menu, Ecuadorian tiger prawns in a roasted tomato and lime sauce. Ceviche is fresh, as in raw, seafood cured with citrus juices. This dish is typical of Peruvian cuisine but has been adopted by many other Latin American countries. The citric acids from the fruits causes the proteins in the seafood to become "denatured" which basically pickles or "cooks" the fish without any heat. I was so intrigued by this dish as I'd never had ceviche before, I couldn't wait for it to arrive! It arrived and as we always do, we shared :) The ceviche was divine! Its such a clever cooking process that allows you to really taste the seafood and I loved being able to feel all the textures of the tiger prawns too. Delicious!
Ceviche
For my starters I ordered 6 fresh rock oysters which came with a shallot and red wine vinegar and a wedge of lemon. I've only recently developed a taste for oysters and I still couldn't tell you if two different types tasted differently but I'm working on it!
Oysters...drool...
Once finished the dishes were cleared away. I don't think my mouth has watered this much in anticipation EVER! I was literally sitting on the edge of my cowhide seat in excitement of the arrival of my slab of beef. We'd both ordered 225g fillet steaks, or 'Bife de Lomo'. I'd ordered rare, as always, the man ordered a more civilised medium-rare. What can I say, I'm a nethanderal at heart. Then the mains arrived. Oh Em Gee. The meat was perfectly cooked. I was speechless. The meat really did melt in my mouth life butter. The fillet is the most tender cut of beef and is the most expensive, its from a part of the cow that receives very little exercise hence uber-tenderness. The form of cooking used in Gaucho was an asado, a technique for cooking cuts of meat on a big old barbeque, originating in Argentina and Uruguay. The meat for an asado is not marinated, the only preparation being the application of salt before and/or during the cooking period. Just the way I like it. I never have sauces with meat as, as I've definately mentioned before, I love being able to actually taste the meat itself. The steak was beautiful. I remember looking over at the man in disbelief at the party in my mouth. 225g was definately enough although if heaven was made out of that steak there's no doubt I'd gobble up the lot...
*DROOL*
You'd think now I would be full, especially after having a three course lunch earlier on in the day with my work but oh no, no sir-ee, not this Little Welsh. This Little Welsh likes the eat and can pack it in. That I did. 'Can I see the dessert menu please?' Monika returned with the dessert menus, equally as funky and modern as the mains menu, and also a cheese platter. She sweetly said 'I thought you'd like to take a photo of this too'. Bless. She carefully explained each slab of well-sourced cheese before allowing us to mull over the choices on the menus. The aroma from the cheese was heavenly but was I wrong in thinking that I'd heard Monika mention something about a chocolate cake earlier? On the dessert menu there's everything you could possible imagine to satisfy that nagging old sweet tooth from pancakes with icecream to vanilla flan, from cheesecake to coconut panacotta. Naturally I chose the chocolate cake with orange, cadamon and coffee sauce. Now being in a steakhouse you don't really expect too much from the desserts however I was pleasantly surprised! The chocolate cake was firstly a good size and secondly it consisted of very complimentary flavours. The rich and gooey chocolate slab was lightly spiced with cardamon and the coffee cream sauce and fresh orange segments gave it a wonderfully light and fresh lift. The man chose a trio of Argentine ice creams including a bitter chocolate, a very natural tasting vanilla and a deliciously sweet dulce de leche. drool.
Cheese board
Chocolate cake with orange, cardamom and coffee sauce
Trio of icecream!
Good god was I full. I had actually consumed a hellova lot of food that day. I was so full but equally so happy. I don't think I stopped smiling during the entire evening - which is quite hard when your slurping oysters! What a night! We paid and made our exit. I noticed a rather swish looking lift by the cloak room desk and asked if we could take the lift instead of the stairs, I know it's only a lift but it really was a nice way to end the evening. The glass cylinder rose slowly into the sparkly bar above and we were greeted and lead to the doors which were opened in perfect synchronisation. The whole evening was perfect. The service was flawless, the food was divine, my belly was huge.
Get yourself down to Gaucho, there are 13 branches including one at the 02. You've not had steak til you've had Gaucho's.
