Glamorous Gaucho really excelled supplying a luxury dining experience in Piccadilly, London
I and a new friend met for good food, wines of every description all set in a glitzy environment in central London
Think fantastic meat, lavish surroundings and super friendly
25 Swallow St, London W1B 4QR
+44 (0)20 7734 4040
We need to cut to the chase, Gaucho as the name means a South American cowboy, but for me with style.
If you think of American westerns as a gun slinging John Wayne with a feisty Doris Day think of Gaucho more in the terms of Evita with Antonio Banderas who plays Che Guevara and Andrea Corr who plays Peron’s Mistress.
Time for some Tango, not from Evita but it’s a great dance sequence with Antonio Banderas in “Take the Lead”
I think the next time I go in to eat there I will think of myself as Antonio Banderas and I will think of Gaucho as my Mistress, and what a Mistress to have for she is tasty, tantalising and strong and if you think this was all a bit cheesy, you did not know I was a contestant on Blind Date, gosh that shows my age, oh well!!
I like lots of styles but something I adore, but do not get to experience that often is a glitzy restaurant, which is exactly what this is. The dark colours, glistening lights and nightclub feel heightens ones emotions visually only to be wowed by the food. In my opinion go for the obvious but winning flavours.
Both of us let our hair down so to speak, with good conversation, lots of fantastic food and a varied but frequent dose of wine.
I might comment on how genuinely welcoming the staff were and particularly our Maitre De who went out of his way to help with the wines, which ended up with a mini wine tasting.
White with the starter, red with the Main and dessert wine to follow…
We had
A special starter: Cured Salmon with Cucumber, Red Onion Dill, Horse Radish cream
Main courses:
LOMO fillet of beef, lean and tender….
Beef – Churrasco de Lomo Spiral cut, marinated in garlic, parsley and olive oil
Dessert or my world pudding:
I had a selection of chocolate truffles, whisky, coffee, salt, Chilli, orange
My friend had a selection of Cryer and Stott cheeses served with caramelised onion chutney and oat cakes….
We tried a few wines until we were happy and really added to what was a really fun night.
Wines
Red – cabernet franc – Trapiche Fincas, Cruz de Piedra….think had with my beef
My friend drank Loro Malbec
We drank Luigi Bosca Corte g Blanco sauvignon blanc with the starter…..
Rose with Seleccion G – Finca Sophenia…..
The first Gaucho in the UK opened in a basement site, beneath 90’s hip eatery ‘Down Mexico Way’ at 25 Swallow Street, Piccadilly in January 1994……..
22 years later, the UK’s leading quality beef restaurant group has grown to 14 sites: 12 in London, one in Leeds, and one in Manchester.
The original Swallow Street Gaucho site has extended all the way from the basement to four floors of monochromatic chic, delicious food and great drinks, including two bar areas, dining across three floors, and a series of private dining rooms.
92% of main courses ordered in our restaurants are beef, Argentine Beef.
All of Gaucho’s beef comes from Argentina. The company only uses grass-fed, free-to- roam Aberdeen Angus-bred beef which comes from 45 hand-picked farms (estancias) all of which use traditional rearing methods. They still employ gauchos who move the cattle from one fresh grassland to another, on horseback.
The beef is wet-aged, which gives it great flavour, and a lighter, moreish quality which is distinctively different from the denser-textured, dry-aged beef that is usually served by the UK restaurant industry.
Argentine Wines
Over the past 15 years in particular, the Gaucho passion for the best of Argentina has also embraced the country’s wine production. Phil Crozier, Gaucho’s Director of Wine, has built a wine list with over 200 top quality Argentine wines over this time, and he has been personally involved in the creation of many of these. He works with the top vineyards from Salta in the north to Patagonia in the windy south to create diverse wines, most of which are exclusive to Gaucho, which reflect the best traditions of Argentine wine making, and stunning grape varieties.
Gaucho also has its own vineyard in Mendoza, at the heart of Argentine wine production, where the Viña Patricia and Loro labels are produced.
25 Swallow St, London W1B 4QR
+44 (0)20 7734 4040