The Gaucho Grill

I ate at the Gaucho Grill in '02 and it was superb. Have been aching to get back to London and try it again. By the way, rare steak should have a cool center - it should 'moooo'!

As I travel the world on my yacht, I am very rarely in the UK, so I decided to have a catch-up with a few friends I rarely see. I was recommended this restaurant by a close friend and decided that it would be the place for a long afternoon lunch. Unfortunately, due to the staff being extremely unaccommodating and extremely rude, I will have to take my custom elsewhere. They are obviously incompetent in the kitchen if they are unable to cater for more than 8 people.

Being an avid meat eater and a true fan of quality steak and red wine, I cannot express more emotionally how disturbed I was with the weak attempt 'London's finest steak emporium' (by rep?) made to cater for me and my 13 Steaks Are High pals. This has become a passion for the SAH gang and to be so let down by what was once the pinnacle of red meat dining pushes the boundaries of acceptabilty.

Basically Gaucho, pull your finger out! You should be ashamed that 50% of our steaks had to be returned as they were uncooked, there were various wine debacles (a bottle standardly needs to be opened to be drunk, no?), not even going to mention the farce with the bill. Or simply change your name to Aberdeen Angus Grill and we will know what to expect in the future!

My partner and I dined at The Gaucho Grill last night and I unfortunately have to report a very substandard dining experience. As ever, the venue was immaculate and the staff were welcoming, accommodating and professional. However, the standard of the fare served to us was quite appalling. My partner, who loves a bit of meat and had read rave reviews of the quality and cut of the Argentinean beef served here, ordered the Bife de Chorizo. The 400g of steak that arrived certainly looked appetising enough. But one should never judge a book by its cover. The reality was that it was not cooked to the 'medium' temperature he had ordered and was actually so rare that the middle was cold to the touch. Once it had been put back on the grill, any enjoyment that my partner had hoped to derive from his steak was nullified by the difficulty that he had sawing through the tough and excessively fatty meat with a knife which was simply not fit for purpose.

Fortunately for me, I am a vegan so I was spared this ordeal. But I did endure an ordeal of my own. Despite ordering a selection of special grilled vegetables – asparagus, mushrooms, sweet potato and tomatoes – and some mushroom sauce on numerous occasions, they were never actually served to our table. Indeed, I now wonder whether these menu items were served to some of our fellow diners in error instead.

Make no mistake, this restaurant does not currently justify its hype and the high prices are not good value for money. We will not be coming back in a hurry.

It's disappointing that a once-mighty meat house has descended into a vacuous haunt. Everyone's just whacking it on expenses, so they obviously don't care about the quality. It's simply too big now to provide decent steak. Echoes of smiths@smithfields. A shame.

I love steak. Once a month a group of friends and I visit a different steak restaurant around London, eat steak and chips and drink red wine. We have been doing this for the best part of 3 years and it is almost a religion for us. We always look forward to it and last night was no exception. In fact, rather than casting a critical eye on proceedings we tend to look for the best and have never had a genuinely bad experience. Until last night, that is.

This was our 5th visit to a Gaucho, and as we were ushered downstairs I was genuinely excited about the prospect of another fine steak in what was an impressively lavish environment. Unfortunately, last night's experience was closer to falling off a cliff onto a spike than steak nirvana. It would seem that the chef did not pay any attention to how we asked for the steaks to be cooked, and un-ordered vegetables miraculously appeared on our table. 8 steaks were returned to be cooked properly (should 50% of the meat in a medium-rare steak actually be cold?) and one had as much gristle and fat as meat.

Reading the reviews on this site, it would seem that this is not necessarily par for the course but none the less, 14 easily pleased customers walked away extremely unhappy last night. And I haven’t even mentioned the argument about the bill...

My advice: go to a different Gaucho.

After 3 years of 'The Steaks Are High Society', the 26th October saw Gaucho welcome 14 expert steak eaters. The problem was, the steaks served were not fit for purpose. Even more shocking was that it didn't appear that the kitchen were trying very hard to deliver their primary remit - to create a wonderful steak eating experience. A rare steak should never be cold, even in Buenos Aires, but that's what 8 of the 14 steaks were found to be. One steak in particular (they were all chorizo cuts) had a saddle of fat so big that you could have happily ridden it across La Pampas, even if your name was Pavarotti (God bless his soul!). Consistency was not an element present on any level.

This is such a shame, since my first experience here (March '07), was exquisite. I had just returned from B.A. for a month, so any flaws would have been alarmingly obvious. But no, it was spot on.

Beware of dropping standards!

I'd been planning this dinner for a long time! Having studied the menu extensively online, I had already narrowed my choices down to just the four cuts of beef: Bife de Lomo (fillet), Bife de Cuadril (rump), Bife de Chorizo (sirloin) and Bife Ancho (ribeye). In the end, I chose the 300g of Bife de Lomo, medium-rare, with no accompanying sauce (there was a good selection available, including Porcini mushroom and truffle sauce, but I hate sauces with my steak) and fat chips. My friend chose the Lamb Duo, which consisted of three lamb chops with braised lamb shoulder, white beans, warm sliced artichoke salad and mint chimichurri. A very substantially sized dish, the lamb was delicious and perfectly cooked (pink, neither overdone nor too rare).

My steak was cooked close by on an open grill in a cooking area almost encased in glass, so that customers can watch their meat being prepared. The first few bites were delicious, being on the edge of the steak and it was very tender and cooked just the way I like steak (not too bloody and definitely not overcooked). However, as I ate my way inwards I found that the steak was more medium than medium rare, which was a shame. There were hardly any pink juices on my plate. This is the main reason why I am only giving the restaurant a 5 (good chips though!) I suppose I could have returned it, but I've never been that good at returning food in restaurants.

For dessert, we shared the Argentine pancakes served with vanilla ice cream and dulce de leche - another big portion, and not bad. Without any alcohol, this meal cost £30.00 per head. Steak can be hard to get right, but considering that it is the Gaucho Grill's speciality, they could try harder!

Went yesterday for a late lunch with three friends. Atmosphere, service and quality of food all excellent. We all had different steaks, they were all cooked to perfection, and the side orders and sauces were very good too. Food is excellent value for money (approx £35/head with service). Wine is a little expensive but the list is very comprehensive and the one we chose was very smooth and complemented the steaks superbly (£39/bottle). Our waiter was very knowledgeable and more than happy to answer any questions about the food and wine. Highly recommended. I will be going back.

The best steak in London! Nice decor and very friendly staff. Desserts are OK too...

Excellent - steaks are amazing! The rest of the food is good but you go for the steaks. Staff are friendly, decor is great, atmosphere is nice and relaxed.

Great food, service, atmosphere, staff. Best steak I've ever had and the Malbec is to die for. Jalapenos pump up your lips and are cheaper than collagen but probably just as painful!

An unbelievable steak and excellent surroundings. A must try!

This was the nicest meal I have ever had out, I recommend it majorly!

Beautifully prepared steaks on Latino grill. I dare say, taste better than Spanish. Do try, all dishes are distinctively tasty!

Dim lights makes great mood for a feast.

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