Yes, I primarily write about beauty but as most girls do, I love food, cocktails and just all things glamorous so when I was walking down Park Row in Leeds the other week and came across a black building which I've never seen before, I had to venture in. I looked up and saw a small logo which said: 'Gaucho'. I then looked further, to see that there is a small staircase leading to a hidden restaurant; Gaucho. This isn't your average restaurant, this is an experience which you will never forget...
It turns out that there are Gauchos all over the world, these little hidden restaurants don't just exist in Leeds. But also in London, Dubai and more. I will be sipping some champagne in their Dubai one in the near future I hope. We strolled down this hidden stairway and inside, we couldn't believe what we saw. It's like something from James Bond. This is the most breath taking restaurant that I have ever been to, it's enigmatic, modern and poles apart from the rest. Cocktails started off the night, mine was the pink one, of course.
We moved into the main dining area after sampling the cocktail menu in the bar, which as you can see, is just luxurious. The great thing about Gaucho is, whilst it looks, feels and tastes high-end, you don't feel uncomfortable, the balance between giving true great service and making you feel relaxed is perfect at Gaucho.
The photos pretty much speak for themselves. Gaucho is a gorgeous establishment, with THE best cuts of meat. If you're a big food boffin like me, just read the above and you'll probably die a little bit of excitement.
Even at the bar, the service was incredible. Our coats were taken from us at the door, we were put on a table and it was waiter service. Our waiter introduced himself which is always nice, he told us his name and then chatted to us. These are top class waiters, I've never seen anything like it.
Away from all the glitz and the glam of this beautiful restaurant, is a genuine passion for food, from all of the staff. I told the manager how good our waiter (Harry) was and she explained to me that they all go through rigorous training tests and exams, which would explain why he was so attentive, but not too attentive, just the right amount. He also knew so much about the meat. I am rubbish when it comes to meat, I would have just chosen the first thing that said 'chicken' or 'fillet' on the menu. Harry brought around a board with the raw meat on and explained each cut to us. We asked him so many questions and he knew the answers to them all.
We were so excited for our meat after discussing the tender cuts with Harry, that we forgot about starters. We decided to stray away from the sausage platter to share (which looks and sounds divine) because well, we always get sharing starters, instead I went for a beef/cheese and onion empandanas and Jack went for the chorizo sausage. We both said they were the best starters that we have ever had.
Ah my new hair, so short! As most of you probably know if you follow me on instagram, I had it all cut off by my lovely hair dresser Jade at XS Hair (the best salon in Leeds, so if you're heading to Gaucho, be sure to go get your hair done by Jade first, she's the only hairdresser I trust)So here I am, with my new Mollie from the Saturdays hair style, my new dress from TKMaxx surprisingly and my MUA lipstick because stupid me, forgot to bring lipstick with me and I was getting ready in the city centre. Major panic. Thank god for Superdrugs which stock MUA products. My date for the evening looks really happy on this photo... it was actually his birthday and he was having a good night really, I promise.
And then came the mains. I had in my mind that I'd order a standard fillet. But how wrong I was. Harry completely persuaded me to go for the Churrasco De Lomo fillet which had been marinated in garlic parsley and olive oil for 48 hours and cut out into a butterfly shape (if I'm honest, as soon as he said butterfly, I knew I'd choose that). I then heard the world garlic, and knew that was my dream steak. This may look like an ordinary steak, but I bit into it and declared that it is the best steak I have ever eaten. This was just, mouth watering. I don't understand how something tastes so nice. Get this if you go to Gaucho. Trust me! It's probably like the Hotel Chocolat of steaks (top notch).
Jack went for the tira de ancho; spiral cut, slow grilled rib eye with chimichurri sauce and he said it was just perfection on a plate basically. The best birthday ever he said.
Again, Harry and his knowledge swayed me to order 'burnt mash'. Uh what? Yep, burnt mash potatoes. Which sounds horrible, but they tasted incredible. Do try this at home.
I love wine. It's a big thing for me. Even though we probably should have had red wine to go with red meat, I just love my white wine too much. Harry, went to the effort of selecting about 5 wines which he thought would go best with our meals, he then let me taste each one, until I chose my favourite. I know that you're meant to taste your wine in restaurants, but it's the way that Harry took control and really helped me out.
Like with the meat, when it was time for desert (we were so full, we both had to leave half of our steak.) Harry brought over a selection of cheeses and described them all to us. Even though I love cheese and crackers, we were so full that we just went for the desert. It's not usual for me to be full after a meal at a nice restaurant, usually at a nice high-end restaurant they give such small portions that I leave feeling hungry, this time, the portions were huge, which is great. You really do get what you pay for.
We shared a sampler of deserts because we simply couldn't choose between them all. Gaucho is great for people who have small appetites, or like to try a bit of everything (like me). They do great 'samplers' which include loads of different cuts of meat to share or few different deserts. I wish more restaurants did this, its perfect for indecisive girls... queue me going here every week now.
The wine flowed and the candles swayed, and then at 11pm, it was probably time to leave. We sat down at 7.30pm. This is the longest I have ever been in a restaurant, but it was so relaxing and comfortable that we stayed there all night without even realising, we didn't feel rushed. The restaurant was full on a Wednesday night, so people must really love it. Gaucho really do spoil you when it comes to exquisite service, the most tantalizing food and pinterest worthy decor. It's really hard to word just how good Gaucho is, it's been over a week since visiting and I can't stop thinking about how good it was and the minute I left, I couldn't wait to go back. I'd say Gaucho is like The Great Gatsby book, elegant, ambiguous, exciting and opulent. I wonder if Gatsby has every tasted anything this good though. It's addictive and you just want to go back for more. Like I've mentioned though, the best thing about this restaurant is that it is so comfortable, it's odd to find a restaurant which is so high end yet the staff are still so down to earth and friendly. There is nothing 'snooty' about Gaucho, just highly professional and they have a genuine passion for customer service and food. This is the perfect special occasion restaurant and it's definitely worth saving up for. As for the food, well it's the best meal I've ever had, hands down. Even if you think you're not a meat lover (I'm not) it's still an unbelievable experience. I'm not sure how I'm going to top this... ever... Thanks Gaucho for making life hard and making me never want to eat meat anywhere, ever again.
Have you ever been to Gaucho? Do you like the sound of this?
Love Em x
P.S, I've been shortlisted for the Cosmopolitan 'best new beauty blog' award and I am speechless, I'd love to have your vote. You can vote for me here. Thank you so much.
