Gaucho (Broadgate)

I'm already a Gaucho convert - I have never had a less than perfect steak on any of my numerous visits.

Gaucho Broadgate is a sleek and sophisticated branch of the chain, following the same tried and tested formula of dark wood, cow-hide furnishings and dim lighting. However, the ultra-modern bar entrance and "beam-me-up-Scotty" lift to the restaurant below make this place seem even more exciting.

We visited last night, and it was packed to the rafters - to be expected in the City on a Thursday evening. The bar upstairs was very busy, but drinks were delivered quickly and there was one spare section of couch to perch on while we necked our glasses of champagne.

Once at our table downstairs, we ordered drinks and studied the menus. We had a considerable wait after the drinks arrived, and had to ask for the bread to be brought to our table as we were so hungry - those cheese puff buns are divine!

We were finally shown the meat board, and I paid more attention than usual since they have had a major revamp of their steak cuts. I was disappointed to find my old favourite bife de lomo fillet (225g of juicy thick goodness) has been discontinued, seemingly replaced by 220g of two thin medallions for the same price. I ordered these and was not disappointed with the flavour or cooking, but I did hanker for that big thick piece of steak I used to love.

The sides are overpriced in my opinion, but that never stops me ordering them! £5.25 for five stems of broccoli?! (and just regular tenderstem broccoli at that, not the purple-sprouting variety described on the menu. We also ordered the pommes puree - and to be honest were a little diappointed with the average mash that turned up. Creamy silky pommes puree this was not.

I decided to splash out on a fine wine - a £62 bottle of 2005 Malbec. It tasted OK, but nothing special. It was only after studying the bottle that I noticed this bottle was a 2009 vintage! When the bill arrived, we noted that we had been correctly charged £33 for this 2009 version of the wine - so clearly a mix-up on the ordering somewhere. Our fault for not paying more attention when the bottle was presented perhaps.

So to sum up - fabulous, faultless steaks and sauces, OK but over priced sides, charming if a little overstretched service, and a fantastic buzzy atmosphere.

Gaucho - see you and your delicious steaks again soon.
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Jo - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, June 22, 2011

I caught up with a couple of old uni mates last night for reminisce and some gentle ribbing about ungracefull aging since the late 1990's. Stuart has just got a job up in the city so Andy and I tasked him with finding somewhere to eat. We usually go for lots of Guiness at Mulligan's on Cork St but we fancied something a bit different. Well as it turned out his PA recommended Gaucho and so after some aimless wandering I found Finsbury square and the very modernist entrance to Gaucho. It is certainly a clever restaurant space with the bar upstairs in a sort of swish greenhouse and the restaurant underground. I felt like I was entering a bond film lair. The bar upstairs was pretty nice with good service and they did make a very nice martini. After a bit of a wait for Andy who being new to London got a bit lost, we were taken down to the action. The restaurant itself was extremely busy but had a nice sophisticated buzz. I got the impression this was very much set up for people entertaining. We were given a couple of glasses of very expensive Argentinean Malbec to try but opted for something far more sensible. We started with a very nice merlot and had a robust Malbec with our mains.

Obviously with this being Gaucho we weren't there for a vegetable pie so we ordered steak. I went for ribeye, Andy fillet and stuart a sirloin. Like "Goodman's" the waitress came around to show us the different cuts of meat which does add to the theatre. It was suggested we might want to share a starter platter whilst we waited for our mains. A classic bit of upselling but in actual fact the sausage platter was very nice and just the right amount. The steaks when they came were extremely good, mine had great flavour and was well cooked. I avoided the extra sauces and had a very good side od sweet potato chips with Chorizo. The conversation and wine flowed freely as we enjoyed a very good meal. We weren't really minded for desert but the waitress came along to show us their cheese board and suggested we share a selection. Again a good bit of upselling but the board was very nice. In fact the food was faultless and my only negative was my lukewarm coffee.

All in all a very nice experience. It had a very New York style and the ambience did make me forget I was in London. It may lack the soul of "Goodman's" but it does it's job with plenty of style. I felt well looked after and the food seem to come seamlessly. We all really enjoyed ourselves without going mad on the booze which is a good sign. The bill came to £90 a head which was expensive but we had been well fed and watered. I think the professional pushiness of the staff may not be for all but I thought they were good at their job. I've red some sniffy reviews about Gaucho but I have to say I liked my first experience. If I could sum it up I would say it was a very grown up experience. Worth a visit if you can find it amongst the concrete and glass jungle of Broadgate.
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david ginsberg - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, October 29, 2010

Went to Gaucho Broadgate on a Friday night and was overall very well impressed with the experience. It's not cheap, but the meat is well worth it - delicious steak, probably one of the best I've had in London. Very friendly service (if slightly pushy) to the point that they brought us a free glass of bubbly after noticing it was a birthday celebration. The decoration follows the subtle tackiness of the chain visual branding, but the location underneath a nicely landscaped city square gives it an edge. My only complain would be the douchey clientele (city types...) but, hey, nothing is perfect. Will definitely go back and highly recommend it.
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Bruno FdS
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Saturday, August 21, 2010

really good steaks for London! if you haven't heard about it yet you should give it a try (providing you have the right budget).
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Richard Ney - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, November 03, 2009

I came here last Friday night with my boyfriend and it was a very enjoyable experience. We started with a couple of drinks in the bar which were strong and quite fairly priced considering the location (cocktails were around £7). We were then shown to our table and introduced to our waitress who was very friendly and polite, and another surprised us a few minutes later by bringing the remains of our drinks to our table, in case we hadn't finished with them. The food was great overall, although I wouldn't recommend the ceviche. It was not exactly what I was expecting and resembled cold tomato soup with a few pieces of seafood in and definitely not worth the £9.25. The steaks however were excellent - perfectly cooked and very tender.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone after a great steak in a chic setting and extremely friendly service. The only criticism I have aside from my disappointing starter was the lighting, which was a bit too dim for my liking - it was a bit difficult to see exactly what we were eating!
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Cindy
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Monday, February 16, 2009