1. THE NEW MENU
Eighteen new dishes have been added across the entire menu at Gaucho – a real sign of development from a menu that was taken almost wholesale from the UK – and there’s some real quality on there too.
The scallop tiraditos is a sharp starter great on the palette with a zing of lime and a little jalapeño spice. The monkfish and chorizo pincho (below) sees large chunks of succulent white fish wrestle for space with thick slices of smoky chorizo on a long skewer. The bed of chickpeas seasoned with garlic and paprika provides a good foil for the flavour. Finally, the hand cut fries – five or six chunky fries made from one potato, marinated in truffle oil and chives and baked for four hours – could well be one of the finest things we’ve tasted… ever.
2. THE OLD MENU
While the new menu is genuinely impressive, it’s not an entire refit, which we’re pleased about. The empanadas are always a great way to start when there are a few of you around the table and the churrasco de chorizo – a sirloin spiral cut marinated for 48 hours in garlic and parsley – is the type of dish that will keep you awake at night with hunger when thinking about it days later.
3. THE OTHER STUFF
When you’re just one excellent restaurant in a concentrated area of excellent restaurants – Zuma, La Petite Maison, Roberto’s and Wheelers all in walking distance – you need a game changer and the team at Gaucho provides just that. Knowing the menu inside-out is a given and in sommelier Marina Diaz they have the type of person you would genuinely go to a restaurant for.
Gate Village 5, DIFC¸ +971 4 4227898,
gauchorestaurants.co.uk