Gaucho Sloane Restaurant Review

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Catherine Balavage

The Gaucho has a reputation that precedes it. Quite a few people were jealous that I was reviewing it, more so than any other restaurant I have reviewed. It was all apparent why when we arrived. To begin with, the decor is stunning. The chairs are comfortable: high-backed with a black and white animal print. The entire place is just stylish. The atmosphere is not stuffy and there are a few families here with (well-behaved) toddlers.

Our waiter, Ewan, is incredibly knowledgable. He knows everything about the food and the wine. His recommendations are also excellent.

Our meal is started off with some bread and Chimichurri sauce, a staple in Argentina. It is made from parsley, garlic, fresh pepper, olive oil, red pepper and red wine vinegar. The bread comes in a good variety: there is some corn bread and some cheesy bread to go with the ordinary bread. All tastes great and fresh.

For our starter I have the pan-fried scallops with watercress purée, smoked pancetta and confit red peppers and my colleague has the crab caustic with egg, lime and avocado. The scallops are perfectly cooked and the sauce is wonderful, the smoked pancetta on top really works too. The crab is delicious and unique. It is presented on top of mashed potato. The avocado is perfect and the hint of egg is unusual but works well. It is complex and creative. The potato is smooth and well seasoned. It holds everything together.

For my main I have to have a steak, the Gaucho is famous for them after all. I have the churrasco de lomo: spiral cut, marinated for 48 hours in garlic, parsley and olive oil. It is 400g of pure heaven. Even more impressive because I cannot have it medium rare as I am pregnant but the chef manages to make it taste amazing, even though it has to be well done. This is the best steak I have ever had in my life. High praise indeed as I have eaten a lot of steak. It is just perfect and you can tell that a lot of time and effort went into it. Our waiter, Edwan, brought out the steak in advance to show us. The cows are grass fed and roam around an area of Argentina three times the size of the UK. I have a garlic hollandaise sauce on the side which is simply divine. However, the steak is so marinated and delicious it could be eaten on its own.

My colleague has pork belly with pumpkin purée, glazed button onions and buttered cabbage. He says it is a triumph: perfectly cooked pork with sweet caramelised onions and cabbage. It has a fantastic, sweet, sticky sauce that is not heavy and is divine with the pork.

For our sided we have baked and grilled sweet potato, brushed with butter. It is perfect. We also have some perfectly cooked buttery curly kale.

To drink we have mocktails. I have a virgin mojito that tastes just like the real thing and my colleague has a fruit punch. Both are excellent. I could drink a virgin mojito everyday.

For dessert I have a chocolate and raspberry alfajores: milk chocolate and raspberry parfait cake with italian meringue and crushed raspberries and my colleague has dulce de leche cheesecake, a salted dulce de leche. Both desserts are delicious.

Gaucho also have an extensive and wonderful list of Argentinean wine. Make sure you have some. There is also the Bar Galante next door. It is a beautiful bar, very stylish and perfect for sipping a cocktail or two.

I can highly recommend Gaucho. It is right at the top of my list of the best restaurants in London. Just superb.

Gaucho – Sloane
89 Sloane Avenue
London
SW3 3DX
Phone: 0207.584.9901
Fax: 0207.584.0045

The Fable Restaurant Review

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Frostie

Strawberry and Lavender Mojito

Porn star martini

Fable is a buzzing bar and restaurant set in Farringdon with seasonal British food. It is inspired by the world of fairy tales and this was evident from the books and writings which adorn Fable’s three floors.

We start with some cocktails, a strawberry and lavender Mojito, which was a nice twist compared to the usual style and the skinny porn star martini. Both were excellent.

For our starter we choose the chicken satay. The char-grilled slightly smoky succulent chicken was really superb, beautifully cooked and it went very well with the excellent nutty satay sauce. The prawn crackers were a tasty addition and also went well with the sauce.

Chicken Satay

My salmon ceviche with orange and coriander came served in a jar which I had to shake myself, this seems to be a common trend at the moment. It was fresh and healthy and the salmon was very tasty.

Chicken burger

For my main I had a chicken burger. These guys cook chicken well! Again my chicken was succulent and tender. The breadcrumb seasoning was delicious – it put the Colonel in his place, it really was excellent. The chicken was well accompanied by a nice juicy slice of beef tomato, lettuce, red onion and and a crispy bun. There was also a gherkin on the side which I don’t usually like but this one was wonderfully fresh. I also loved the chips which came with my burger. They were nice and chunky and covered with heaps of fresh Parmesan and Rosemary. A brilliant combination I could have eaten them all day long and I can’t praise them highly enough. This was honestly up there with one of the best chicken burgers I have ever had. So often with a chicken burger you get served a dried out piece of flavorless meat with no effort or thought. That was definitely not the case here it was clear a lot of thinking had gone into all the dishes.

Reef, Beef and Bubbles!

The reef beef and bubbles came with a free glass of Prosecco all for £15 which we thought was very reasonable. The steak was tender and the size of my fist. It was well cooked and the peppercorn sauce was tasty and not overpowering. The lobster was delicious and fresh. The chips were tasty but not as good as the ones covered in rosemary and Parmesan.

For pudding we had three mini puddings in one. They were a generous size and beautifully served in colored glassware. All three of the puddings were extremely tasty. The true star was the raspberry and champagne sorbet which was something quite special. The lemon syllabub was a lemony biscuity delight. The chocolate brownie was also excellent and went perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ice cream parfait

We also tried the ice cream parfait which was also beautifully presented and sweet and delicious in its own right. I loved my little doughnut which came with it.

Fable was a great experience and we will be going back in the future. Our waitress was extremely attentive despite having so many different tables to serve. The atmosphere was buzzing and the food was truly excellent there was nothing we could fault. The portion sizes were perfect my only minor criticism is that I found my chair slightly uncomfortable but now I’m just being picky.

Fable

52 Holburn Viaduct

London

EC1A 2FD

0845 468 0105

Le Secret des Rôtisseurs Restaurant Review

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Frostie

The family-run Le Secret des Rôtisseurs has a lot of things going for it. First of all, it has introduced the art of rotisserie-roasted chicken to London’s Canary Wharf. You can watch as the chicken is slowly flame-roasted (This method of roasting also ensures the meat is cooked without retaining fats and oils, resulting in a chicken that is healthier and juicier than any other). The restaurant smells amazing.

This newly opened riverside French restaurant comes with a stunning view of the Thames and is beautifully designed, everyone is knowledgeable and friendly. The furniture includes unique pieces that originally furnished Altitude 95 in the Eiffel Tower. Designed by the highly esteemed Vassilew Slavik, the furniture graced the national landmark until 2007, when Alain Ducasse took over the license for the restaurant. It all feels very authentically French.

For our entrée we had snails on toast with mushrooms in butter and garlic. This was the first time I had ever eaten snails and they were actually very tasty. They were cooked well and came with a lovely garlicky sauce with a hint of lemon. The salad on the side was also good and came with a delicious dressing. A very good entrée.

We also had a salad francaise classique. Baby leaves, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and Parmesan. It had nice flavors and the Parmesan was delicious. I did find it a bit leafy and too large for my taste. I would like to have seen a larger range of starters to choose from, there were only three available, although the focus is on the rotisserie roasted chicken.

For a main course. I had the roast chicken with “secret” sauce and fries. When the waiter brings it over I say that looks amazing. ‘That’s because it is’, he replies. He’s not lying. It is amazing, the best chicken roast I can remember eating and the secret sauces is great, I am later told it is based around tarragon with sixteen different ingredients. The free-range birds are from carefully selected English farms to ensure the quality of the poultry. The roast is the best I have ever had in a restaurant.

Master Roaster Maistre Benoit, who has worked with France’s most elusive rotisserie oven craftsman, ensures all meat is cooked to his exact, secret standard, making it the best chicken in town. The technique dates back to 1248, when King Louis IX ordered the establishment of guilds, which included ‘Les Oyeurs’ or ‘goose roasters’.

If you are in the mood for something other than chicken, on weekends (Fri-Sun) meat changes weekly, with carnivorous delights such as the rolled shoulder of pork and succulent veal shank served with Le Secret des Rôtisseurs’ special sauce.

We also tried a beautiful piece of pork. The pork was succulent and moist but had a tasty crispy skin giving a beautiful different texture. It was cooked perfectly, something tough to do well with pork.

It came with a rhubarb ketchup. It was a great accompaniment and worked very well with the pork. Our sides of chips and broad beans were well seasoned and well cooked.

Throughout our meal we were treated to some superb wine. We started out meal with a glass of delicious Chablis from Burgundy. One of the very few wines at Le Secret des Rôtisseurs which is not from Bordeaux. The restaurant is justifiably proud of its wine list.They have an amazing cellar of Bordeaux wines that you can see if dining upstairs, or going to the bathroom. The restaurant goes to great lengths to bring the best wines direct from the vineyards and cuts out any middle man. Some of the wine they get is exclusive too only a few restaurants.

The chateaux Clauzet is a rich indulgent opulent classic red Bordeaux wine. It was particularly warm and comforting on a cold day.

For dessert I have the special, which is a chocolate mousse. It was beautifully presented and not only delicious but had a texture that was more like a cake. Yum.

We also had a great plate of different French cheeses.

37 Westferry Circus, Canary Riverside, Canary Wharf. E14 8RR

Le Menu Parfait, £18.95
Half roasted chicken with any entrée and any accompagnement, £18.95.

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Tag Archives: best restaurants

Gaucho Sloane Restaurant Review

The Fable Restaurant Review

Le Secret des Rôtisseurs Restaurant Review

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