El Gaucho

Time Out says

Tue Dec 15 2009

Although roofed, El Gaucho is a small shed of a restaurant with a ranch-like feel and fresh air rushing through an open door. You can hear, and smell, the meat sizzling, there’s lively banter among the staff, and you sit on benches: cramped when it gets busy. Beef, sourced in Argentina, is buttery-soft to the knife and full of flavour. There are ribeyes, sirloins, rumps and fillets, but the churrasco (slimmer, flash-grilled and juicy) is a great lunch option. Try it ‘a caballo’ (‘horse-style’) with two fried eggs. It’s delicious, the blood and yolk swirling into an oily dip ideal for the cobs of white bread. Milanesas (breaded escalopes) and lamb chops are also available, but don’t compare with the steaks for tastiness or tenderness. Salads are basic – as they should be – and there are some drippingly succulent meat empanadas. The wine list features blends as well as malbec and merlot; one blend uses tannat grapes from Uruguay, which have a tannic, woody quality ideal for meaty meals. Flan (crème caramel) is best among the limited (and rather listless) desserts. On sunny days a few tables are placed outside. Come at noon to bag one.