Review - Gaucho, 25 April 2008

Sometimes, one just has to have Big Chunks of Red Meat.

And, if one's going to go for a carnivorous carnival, then it's GOT to be Argentinian beef!

Sat on the corner of Sloane Avene and Ixworth Place, Gaucho is a long dining room with an open kitchen, and surprisingly dark despite the windows running the full length of the room. The furnishings and style is unashamedly 70's-man black, chrome and mirrors, and the 'cowhide' seats are an interesting touch...

The bread that our (fantastic) waiter brought out was a revelation, and set the tone for the rest of the meal. The Colombian 'cheese rolls' were light, cheesy and quite frankly fantastic.

We then shared a mix of three of Gaucho's signature ceviches - saltwater trout, prawn and lobster, and swordfish. All were wonderful, but the saltwater trout was especially amazing!

Then, it came time for the main course - Big Chunks of Red Meat.

Prior to choosing, the waiter actually brings a chopping board over, showing the four main cuts of beef Gaucho offer - rump, fillet, sirloin and rib-eye - along with a sample of their lamb and a marinated 'corkscrew cut' rump steak.

Gerry chose the marinated steak, and I went for a 400g sirloin.

Both were absolutely superb - the sirloin, served blue to my liking, was beautifully grilled on the outside, with those touches of slight charring that make a steak interesting, yet it was superbly tender and melted in the mouth. The marinated rump was equally well done, and the whole served with a good plate of fries, mash for The Darling G and a tasty tomato and mixed-leaf salad.

We decided not to bother with dessert, not wanting to spoil our meal by over-filling!

The service was attentive and friendly without being cloying, the branded toothpicks in their 'matchbook' holders a funky touch, and the bill a pretty reasonable £95 including service - which, surprisingly for London, wasn't included as standard!

Everything they say about Argentinian Beef is true. If you're feeling like a caveman, craving lumps of red meat - go there, you'll love it.

Gaucho
89 Sloane Avenue
LONDON
SW3 3DX
Tel: 0871 3327368

Recipe: Chocolate St Emilion Slice

The Darling G made this for an Easter dessert - and it's wonderfully moreish.

300g Dark Chocolate
150ml milk
150ml Golden Syrup
140g unsalted butter
1 Egg, lightly beaten
150g Amaretti Biscuits, broken into pieces
3 meringue nests, broken into pieces
Cocoa for dusting

- Line a 23x13cm loaf tin with clingfilm so that it hangs over the edges.

- Break the chocolate into pieces and combine with the milk, syrup, butter and a pinch of salt in a wide saucepan. Warm gently over a very low heat until everything has melted.

- Slowly stir in the egg to allow it to cook slightly in the chocolate mix before removing the pan from the heat. Fold the broken biscuits and meringue into the chocolate, being careful not to crush them too much - you want whole pieces in the finished terrine togive it texture.

- Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin, smooth the top with a spatula and tap the tin a few times to force any air bubbles to the surface. Cover with the overhanging clingfilm, and chill for at least 4 hours until firm. Dust with cocoa and slice thinly to serve, allowing the slices to come up to room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Review - Pierre Victoire Oxford 2 May 2008

Gerry and I popped in here for the first time this evening (we didn’t want to queue for Edamame) and we were very impressed, especially as this is part of a chain!

I think we got lucky getting in without a reservation - we saw the somewhat fearsome maitre d’ turn down several less fortunate couples.

As for the food, Gerry and I were both pretty impressed. Gerry started with the Asparagus, topped with parmesan, poached egg and hollandaise, and it was a really lovely dish (though I would have preferred it without the parmesan. While it really worked well flavour-wise, the parmesan shavings were quite large and thick and while the asparagus, poached egg and Hollandaise just melted away quickly, I was left with a large piece of parmesan in my mouth, which made it the dominant flavour and texture. I went for Moules Marinieres which was excellent, and the first time I’ve ever had fennel in a Mariniere, but it worked well.

Mains-wise, G went traditional with the Duck a l’orange (excellent and the duck nice and pink) and I tried the Pork in Mustard which was equally good, sitting atop red cabbage and bacon.

A bowl of frites went down well with both dishes!

I think the only negatives for me were the slightly slow service (not in terms of the food, but in getting extra drinks and paying the bill etc), and as already mentioned the Maitre d’, who is pretty fearsome and seemed quite abrupt, though not rude.

Overall though, at £55 including drinks, coffee and service, this is a pretty good value place and certainly one we’d go to again - though perhaps we’ll book next time!

Pierre Victoire
9 Little Clarendon Street
OXFORD
OX1 2HP
Tel: 01865 316616