GAUCHO GRILL, TOWER BRIDGE

I really outdid myself this weekend with unhealthiness - copious amounts to eat (I went to Borough Market, Gaucho Grill, Locale, a pub supper in West Sussex, a full English breakfast and even had a pork and Stilton pie in-between)! Then there was far too much to drink....prosecco, wine, champagne, gin, vodka and cocktails. Hence I have not had any time to write this blog as I couldn't see straight let alone write a sentence!!

Anyway I am now back on the straight and narrow - I did Body Attack yesterday and drunk gallons of water and am now waiting for my Body Pump class so I can sweat out more toxins.

It was a very good weekend though....Pascal and I started on Friday with a trip to Borough Market which was fantastic - full of amazing treats however as Pascal does not eat standing up after drooling over the food and buying a few bits and bobs (the most amazing cheese & olive bread & burrata) we headed over to lunch at Gaucho Grill. Friday was the most miserable day - it pissed it down - however the view over Tower Bridge from the restaurant  was still absolutely fantastic - this Gaucho is in a great spot.

I am a huge fan of the Gaucho restaurants - I always think they are so sexy and cosy with their dark lighting, booth seating and lots of leather. Plus the food is amazing! We hadn't been to a Gaucho for a year and a half as last time we over ate so badly I literally couldn't leave the restaurant so we decided to be sensible this time and not have starters which was a toughie as the sausage platter is out of this world!

The problem is the bread is sooooooooooooooo delicious especially the Colombian cheese bread, you cannot help by devouring the entire basket. I am not sure what the oil is it comes with but it is phenomenal. I definitely can't stick to a carb free diet here!

Even though I am not a meat connoisseur in any way, I do like the way they bring round the plate of meat for you to choose your steak - I went for the Churrasco de Chorizo which is spiral cut and marinated in garlic, oil and parsley for 48 hours - I had the 300g which was more than enough.

I had the Bearnaise sauce on the side which was delicious but considering the size of the steak, they could have been a little more generous with the portion size.

Pascal had the Bife de Ancho (400g) with a mushroom sauce which he adored - he had it cooked blue as always and it was practically mooing on his plate much to his delight!

There was such a great selection of sides we couldn't decide what to have so ended up choosing two each - my favourite is the humitas (roasted pumpkin & corn) & the sauteed oyster mushrooms with shallots and garlic. Pascal then chose fries and a baby gem salad with toasted almonds and a mayonnaise vinaigrette which was incredible.

The meal was fab - we literally ate every morsel of food. Despite not having starters we were still stuffed and could not even contemplate pudding despite the cheese looking exceptionally good. It is in no way a cheap restaurant but if you want a good quality steak with excellent sides in a gorgeous setting, this is your place. You get what you pay for and it is worth it.

http://www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk

2 More Riverside
London 
SE1 2AP
Tel: 020 7407 5222
Fax: 0207 407 5166