If you can look beyond the slightly garish and tacky cowhide furnishings, and steak is your thing, then Gaucho is a very decent option. Despite the Gaucho enterprise spanning a dozen outlets in London and four around the rest of the UK, it was a first for Gourmand Gunno to visit the Leeds branch and pen a review. Hawksmoor has for a long time been your author’s steak venue of choice, but Gaucho demonstrates that it can comfortably hold its own. As the name suggests, the heritage of the group is Argentinean and the approach to cooking the meat (and apparently the décor too) pays homage to the country. While my 400g ribeye was undoubtedly the main event, both the starter and cheese course also deserve plaudits. Presentation was thoughtful across all the dishes. My tuna ceviche starter (pictured) was enhanced by pickled onions and the white soy-apricot vinegar dressing was a novel addition to a classic dish. Onto the main event. The steak at Gaucho did exactly what it was supposed to – it was medium rare, juicy and very tender. Cheese pleased too, with a nice nod to local producers. Service throughout was solid. One other comment of note: visit on a Monday and you don’t need to pay corkage on the wines. There’s little not to like. With Gaucho Leeds having ticked many boxes, it will be interesting to witness whether other Gaucho outlets deliver to the same standard.
As an addendum, Gourmand Gunno also visited Gaucho’s Birmingham outlet in September. A strange coincidence perhaps, given no prior visits, but in keeping with the lore about British buses. More seriously, the experience in the Birmingham branch was pleasingly consistent with that enjoyed in Leeds. Service was perhaps a little off cue (albeit still very decent), but the quality of the steak was again highly impressive. Watch out for more Gaucho visits.