Gaucho, Chancery Lane

What more would you want on a Tuesday night than a good steak? Paula and I visited Gaucho on Chancery Lane, just off Fleet Street and under a ten minute walk from Holborn. As you might expect from our recent London food reviews we were more than happy to visit and enjoy a good steak and wine.

If you have ever been to a Gaucho restaurant, you will probably remember how dark Gaucho’s are. The Chancery Lane Gaucho was actually one of the lightest Gaucho’s I had visited, we sat just inside the door on the lower level. The restaurant got increasingly busy, a good sign being a Tuesday night and middle of the month. The interior was typically smart, sleek black walls, leather with cow print patches throughout the seating area and also featured lighting.  Gaucho is well-known for its Argentinian steaks and wines and the menu is packed with plenty different choices of both.

The waitress took our orders after talking through the different types of cuts and also one thing at Gaucho that you may or may not be familiar with is they do bring over the steak board, a board with all the different slabs of meat to go through each of the cuts. The waitress asked our usual preference and recommended a few options depending on our usual steaks we go for. For drinks, Paula chose a white wine and I more typically went for red, we were served a large bread bowl, it included cheese rolls, wholemeal bread and flatbreads with dips, salt and oil.

For starters however we decided to share and had a mixture of empanadas. We chose two from the menu, the first one was the beef which was slightly spiced with ground beef, peppers and raisins, I personally preferred the beef. The other empanadas ordered were the smoked ham and mozzarella which were packed full with smoky ham and gooey mozzarella, Paula’s favourite. There was a nice tomato mix brought out with the empanadas too, this really worked well with both and I highly recommend to try it.

We also ordered the chopped chicken livers to share, they were brought over with fresh rocket, a couple of slices of grilled sourdough bread and a good-sized portion of chopped chicken livers, which had strong liver texture. The livers were flavoured with garlic and pepper. It might be worth noting if you are expecting a parfait or pate the livers are finally sliced and not set.

For mains we decided to test drive two of the steaks. I opted for the Tira de Ancho, which is a 500 gram ribeye strip marinated steak. The marinade included parsley, minced garlic, vegetable oil and white vinegar and oregano. As the strip steak is slow cooked it kept all of its juices and acted liked an au jus on the board. Although it was 500g, it didn’t feel heavy like other cuts I have had recently and in my honest opinion is good value.

Paula went for the 300g marinated Churrasco de chorizo which is a sirloin steak marinated in garlic, parsley and olive oil. The marinade gave the steak good flavouring and added a slightly different texture to my steak. The sirloin was perfectly cooked as medium and was super soft and didn’t need a steak knife. We asked the waitress if you needed a sauce for the sirloin and she didn’t suggest so, if you like a sauce or gravy with your sirloin, I would recommend ordering one as even though it was juicy enough without one, if you like it then you’ll want it. Paula’s sirloin was more tender than my rib eye so if you are torn between the two I would go for the sirloin.

Paula ordered the thin fries as a side and I went for the balsamic roasted tomatoes and the mixed salad. The salad was mixed in a blend of olive oil and lightly salted and was a great lighter option complementing the marinated steak and much lighter than a large selection of potato dishes they offer.  

For dessert we had two different yet lighter options. I ordered two scoops of sorbet, one malbec, I am a massive malbec fan and the other strawberry. The malbec sorbet tasted like a good red grape juice drink you might have had as a kid and the strawberry was a good contrast, light not too sweet and cleansed your palate from the steak and the strong flavours of my Cabernet Sauvignon. As you can see there isn’t too much fancy preparation, just straight up desserts, which is one thing at Gaucho that they do well, it’s just all about the food.

Paula ordered the milk chocolate and praline mousse, it comes with biscotti and toasted hazelnuts on the top, the mousse was very light, the biscotti and hazelnuts added a nutella finish when eaten with the mousse. Another good light palate cleanser and not too large as some desserts can be. 

As you might expect from Gaucho you get good quality meat, a good level of service and a high quality mix of reasonably priced wines.

Gaucho also have opened up a selection of outdoor terraces at certain branches including Canary Wharf and Broadgate, which is perfect for this summer weather we are finally having.

For more info or to book a table at gaucho visit www.gauchorestaurants.com.