Gaucho was a short walk from the hotel. We were greeted and shown to a table in the bar area so we could have drinks first. I love that under one of the cocktail sections it mentions that they are offering "happiness, not drunkeness". It is from that section that I ordered, the Cha Cha Cha. Mr. Snarky doesn't drink, so the bartender offered to make him a mocktail. I did take off a star as I noticed throughout the night that service was slow. We arrived shortly after 7:30 p.m. and closed the place down. Their closing time on Sunday night is 10:30 p.m.
I was a bit surprised by the interior as it felt very much like a club than it did a restaurant. It took awhile for our drinks to arrive, I noticed that the bartender started on two of them and then disappeared for sometime. I really enjoyed mine and while it felt potent (Champagne, gin, and brandy), it sure didn't taste of alcohol. We were taken through to the restaurant, which opens up and reveals some clues about what the building used to be... a Methodist Church, complete with the organ. However, the black and white theme continues throughout with lots of black and white cowhide. The chairs swivel, so be careful when you sit down... I nearly swiveled right off! I don't know if this will make sense, but it was quite loud in the restaurant, but mostly from the melancholic, trippy music they were playing, not from the conversations from the different tables or the open kitchen.
We were looking at the menu for some time, trying to decide what we wanted. I would say the wait was too long before a waiter came over and asked us if he would like us to explain the different cuts of meat as we had already decided what we were going to order. The explanation was great, but then of course we had to go back to the menu and re-think our orders. Three of us went with Rib-eyes ranging from rare to medium, while Mr. Snarky went with the Churrasco of Sirloin which is a steak that is butterflied then marinated. I really want to try their ceviche as a starter, however, I noticed that bread baskets were coming out to all of the tables, plus I had had a few free munchies in the lounge at the hotel so I didn't want to fill up before my steak.
Our steaks came with one side and a choice of sauce. All of us chose fat chips rather than the skinny chips or salad. I didn't order a sauce because I am a bit of a snob when it comes to my steak, I want to taste the meat, not slather it in sauce. In hindsight, I could have used the sauce for my chips. Mr. Snarky asked the waiter if he could recommend a sauce for his steak, but the waiter said that he didn't need one since the meat is marinated. As predicted, a bowl of various breads was brought to the table, along with coarse salt, pepper, and an oil with spices. There is a light roll with cheese (similar to the ones at Brazilian restaurants), a grilled piece of tortilla, and a darker bread as well as some butter. I quite liked the grilled tortilla, but the cheese roll was the star. It was gooey on the inside with a nice crusty outside and had a slightly sweet flavor.
Our steaks began to appear, some served on plates set into wood boards, while some were just served straight on a wood board. By the time the bowls of chips appeared, there really wasn't any room on the table. The laughing and jokes had stopped as we dived into our steaks. This must be one of the most tender steaks I have had. No need for a steak knife! No sounds of people sawing through leather. My steak was delicious and everything I had hoped for, even Mr. Snarky enjoyed it despite being cooked to Medium. I had a few bites of his Churrasco and it was delicious. I need the recipe for their marinade. The fat chips were really more like roasties, but that was fine as I used them to soak up the juices that had escaped from my steak.
We decided to have dessert. It was the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake for Mr. Snarky and I. No sharing. And the dessert sampler for his friends. I did mention that I had hoped the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake would be as my favourite version from another restaurant. It certainly looked lovely on the plate and I loved that there was a dollop of Dulce de Leche on the plate, but it didn't quite beat my favourite version. It is creamy and there is a lovely nuttiness about it, but it was lacking in a bit of sweetness which made it taste a bit bitter. The dessert sampler looked lovely with a bit of the cheesecake, Passion Fruit Tart, and Chocolate and Raspberries. Honestly, beef is what they are known for, so maybe give dessert a miss.
As a few other reviews mentioned, it took ages to get our bill, mostly because a lot of the staff had seemed to disappear. Eventually we got the attention of a staff member, but we were the last table out... and it was closing time. I would love to give them five stars just for the beef alone, but the drawn out service kind of killed that excitement and energy. read more