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Wednesday 29 June 2011

#9 Good Old Steak and Chips

Firstly, I would just like to say thank you for the fantastic response and feedback i got on last weeks blog.


Since I wrote last weeks I have had a quiet week. But last night had the amazing opportunity to visit London for my partners little sisters 18th birthday, So this weeks entry will be more of a review of the meal i had at Gauchos Argentinian Steak House in Swallow Street, Picadilly. 


Walking down from the hustle and bustle of Regents Street down towards Picadilly Circus you stumble across this hidden gem tucked away in a little side street. A unassuming street with a few outdoors seating areas, its not until you walk through the front door you realise what a little gem you have stumbled across. From the main entrance with cowhide all along the walls you could be one for questioning whether you just walked in the right entrance for a steak house. But once you get inside you are greeted with a smile which is always a great thing in my opinion. We had our coats taken to the coat room and then were escorted into the bar area. This bar is your normal trendy, sexy London evening bar type destination with comfy seats and nuts to nibble on whilst awaiting your drink. The drinks menu is nicely varied with something for everyone.
My girlfriend ordered her usual, a mojito,or as they call it, a San Lucas, whilst I tried something new, a Salta Sling, This to be honest tasted of an adult version of a slush puppy. However there is certainly not anything wrong with that at all, very refreshing,


When the rest of our party arrived we were escorted to our table on the first floor. Again with smiles and greetings from the extremely friend staff. To be honest we had a little wait on our drinks as the bar was so busy and had not received them before we went upstairs, Because of this inconvenience the staff were extremely apologetic and put the drinks on the house.


The next tricky job was to choose the wine, certainly not an easy choice especially when I don't, to be honest, really drink much Argentinian wine. The father in law chose the wine and chose a fantastic Bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon called Finca Sophenia. This wine was incredible, a very soft mellow red but have just enough sharpness to just give the steak an extra dimension. 


A member of the waiting staff came up and really turned the night into performance. As with her she had a board of meats. All the cuts we could choose between. A phenomenal selection that left everyone on our table salivating at the prospect of what was to come.
Due to it being my girlfriends sisters 18th we all decided to have starters to whet our appetite for those delicious steaks. I searched the menu for something a bit different and to be honest i could have chosen a selection of things but went for the Octopus with olives, This dish was incredible. The subtle flavours and spices worked a treat and were perfect for a light starter. For my main I went for a 300g Rib Eye, Medium Rare of Course. I was undecided whether to go Rib eye of Fillet but decided on the Rib eye as for me the Rib eye is more flavoursome and nicely marbled, 


When the meals came out. There was a silence around the table as we all delved in. Then one by one you could just hear us all trying to put into words how amazing the steak was, even now I am struggling for words to describe it with the justice it deserves. My steak was like a extremely slow cooked joint of meat with a grilled crispiness on the outside.Incredible Flavour.  I must confess I did try a bit of fillet too, And that just melted in my mouth like an ice lolly on a hot summers day. 


To really do this place justice all i can say is everything about is just first class, formal yet relaxed. A restaurant that hasn't sold out to the bigger picture, has its beliefs in its own countries produce and sells these beliefs to you at an incredibly high level. I for one will definitely go back and recommend it to you all through this blog entry.

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