Restaurant Reviews and Food Musings

Restaurant

The Gaucho Grill
29 Westferry Circus
London

Phone:- 0207 987 9494

Website www.thegauchogrill.co.uk

Overview

Eva and I braved the terrorist threat and took a trip, via river taxi, to Canary Wharf. We went there to try out The Gaucho Grill, an Argentinean steak house situated on the banks of the Thames.

Ambience

The Gaucho Grill had both inside and outside seating. The inside was bright and glitzy, with a bar and dining area decorated with cowhides. The outside dining area, on the riverbank, afforded a splendid view of London.

It was a sunny, and warm, day and the outside dining area was packed with a lively and jolly mixture of tourists and local office workers. However, we managed to get a table outside; under the trees that marked the boundary between The Gaucho Grill and the riverbank boardwalk.

The chairs were moulded plastic, and reasonably comfortable. However, the tables had been set on a support in order to stop them wobbling on the gravel (which was used to surface the al fresco dining area); as such they were an inch or so too high for the chairs. It might be better, in my view, to dispense with the gravel and use paving slabs instead.

During the course of our meal, I did battle with a rather persistent wasp; which I eventually, and heroically, managed to despatch to the next world.

Menu

A meat lover’s paradise! The menu offered a very good range of steaks; sirloins, rump, fillet, rib eye that you could order to any size you wished.

There were also chicken and fish dishes, as well as oysters, black bean soup and prawns.

Service

The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Our waiter was very amiable and knowledgeable. He explained each of the cuts of meat, with the aid of a platter on which the different cuts of raw steaks were displayed.

Food

I started with the chicken and beef empanadas. These were 2 medium sized filo pastry parcels, one filled with beef and the other with chicken; served with salad of red and yellow cherry tomatoes.

The beef empanada was pleasant, if a little bland. However, the chicken was very well spiced and had a good smoky flavour; this was my favourite one out of the two.

I chose a 300g Chorizo sirloin for my main course (I resisted 400g). This melted in the mouth like butter, and had a good flavour and succulence.

I chose a good sized baked potato with butter to accompany it, together with Corn O’Brien as a side dish. This consisted of sweet corn which had been sautéed with butter spring onions, and a little red pepper; it made an ideal accompaniment to the steak.

Eva started with the exotically named Gambas Ceviche. This was a small dish of fleshy prawns and avocado, in a piquant tandoori flavour sauce. Rather perversely the dish came with a side dish of popcorn, apparently this was to cool the pallet. We found the dish to be very mild, and the popcorn’s alleged cooling effect unnecessary.

Eva chose a 225g rib eye, with béarnaise sauce, for her main course. This was good cut of meat, marbled with succulent fat. It was splendidly tender and flavoursome.

Eva chose pureed potatoes to accompany the meat. These were very special, as they were exceptionally rich and creamy, and had been pureed with a red pepper. This gave the dish an orange hue, and a piquant flavour.

Eva was delighted, who wouldn’t be having me as a dining companion?

The meal, which included cocktails, a good bottle of Merlot and liqueurs, came to £117 before service.

Overall Opinion

Our verdict?

Jump on a river taxi, and indulge your flesh eating fantasies. We will definitely visit The Gaucho Grill again.