On a recent visit to Leeds, we couldn’t help but visit to one of our favourite restaurants, Gaucho. Hidden away in the heart of Leeds financial district, Gaucho offers an intimate dining experience showcasing Argentine glamour with an abundance of meat and cowhide, which can be expected from all Gaucho restaurants; a branding choice which we have admired for many years.
Gaucho in Leeds always promises a fun filled evening with some impressive steak offerings. One aspect which we have always enjoyed whilst dining at Gaucho is the viewing of the meat, which is brought to your table to show each cut of meat on offer, giving you the chance to choose. Although their meat is from Argentina they also use local produce to complete their menu.
To begin our evening, we started off with a pre-dinner cocktail. I chose the Rhubarb Blush, which saw Chase Rhubarb vodka, Chambord, rhubarb syrup and lemon juice shaken with egg white. This frothy cocktail was both sweet and tart and incredibly delicious. My partner chose the Wild and Fire, which was an equally impressive blend of Monkey Shoulder whisky, Bayou Select rum, St. Germain liqueur, honey and ginger syrup, lemon juice and Bitter Truth orange bitters.
“The food was delicious, the presentation wonderful, and the service was prompt and friendly throughout the evening.”
Whilst we savoured our cocktails we made our menu choices. To start, I chose the selection of specialist homemade sausages, which included; pork and apple, beef and cranberry, winter lamb and the Argentine chorizo. Each sausage was wonderfully different and packed a lot of flavour. Of course, the Argentine chorizo was a particular highlight. My partner chose the soft shell crab causita to start, which was served with red onion, coriander, smoked paprika mayonnaise and egg vinaigrette. This dish was flavour perfect and wonderfully presented; we couldn’t fault it.
For our main courses, my partner opted for the 300g lomo fillet steak, with the addition of four grilled Argentine red prawns and a red wine jus. I chose the 400g caudril rump steak accompanied by the addition of a fried egg along with the mushroom sauce, which completed my choice perfectly. As one would expect, the steaks were excellently prepared and so soft and tender.
As side dishes, we chose to add the broccoli with stilton and toasted almonds, as well as thin chips finished with chimichurri and the French beans served with shallots, garlic, thyme and rosemary. The side dishes at Gaucho are outstanding, and felt incredibly indulgent.
To accompany our meal, we thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of the 2012, Domingo Molina Mortero Malbec, Salta, Argentina. This wine was full of rich dark fruits, with a hearty smokiness that complemented the meat wonderfully.
Once again, we would struggle to fault our experience at Gaucho, Leeds. The food was delicious, the presentation wonderful, and the service was prompt and friendly throughout the evening. We’re very pleased to say they failed to disappoint.
The Bill: £65 per head
