6. August 2011: Gauchos Grill Restaurant

Eating Dutch dishes is one thing – and not necessarily a bad thing, but to be frank, in my personal opinion, Argentinian food is just somewhat more appealing – and the Gauchos Grill Restaurant absolutely confirmed my opinion. The meat is just A DREAM! But more about that later.

To have some bread before starting into the evening sounds like a good idea and you can order the so called “Breekbrood” (EUR 4.00) and it comes with three different kinds of spread. Although it is very tasty, bread and spread should just be something which comes from the kitchen and not something you have to distinctly order.

As the restaurant offered a menu for its 35th anniversary with the words: “Anniversary Menu: To celebrate our 35th anniversary, our grill chefs have put together a festive 4-course anniversary menu for you. Starting off with a delicious glass of Argentinian rosé champagne, the menu centres around our always exquisite Argentinian beef. All for a price of EUR 35.00 pp to suit the occasion” for just EUR 35.00, I decided to go for it.

It all started off with a glass of Norton Cosecha Especial Brut Rosé – as I don’t like Champagne, I decided not to take it and gave it to my friend.

The first course of the menu was a Carpaccio. The meat was tasteful, thin-cut, and appealing. The whole carpaccio with the cheese and the rucola was pretty good – but somehow the element which would have made it perfect was missing. The first course came with a glass of Glass Finca la Colonia Sauvignon Blanc – a pretty okay wine. Not much more than that really, sound and good, but not a step beyond.

The tomato soup which was my second course was pretty good. It was freshly made and rich in taste (and actually tasted like tomato). They put some kinds of herbs in it which was good in taste but was somewhat bothering when it came to eating as they were not really palatable. Besides that, the soup was great.

The main course was the thing I was looking forward to the most – Bife de Lomo (225gr). As I knew it was going to be great I’ve ordered another 75gr to end up at 300gr (which cost me a little extra charge of EUR 4.50 for the 75gr) – it was worth it. The beef was absolutely delicious. I’ve ordered Chimichurri (EUR 2.00) with it which was also pretty good, but it was just not needed. The meat was so good, everything you would put on it would just be an insult to the meat! Also, I’ve ordered medium and it was maybe more medium-rare than medium, it was perfectly cooked!

As a side dish I’ve ordered spinach instead of a potato dish – and well, although he looked at me confused at first, it was no problem changing the side dish and it wasn’t even billed. The spinach was good – but it lacked in spices. I decided to put some salt on it, and that helped. Still, the side dish is not their strongest point – the meat on the other hand, is pretty amazing. Together with the main dish I was served a glass of Imperial Cabernet Sauvignon. It was pretty okay but again it was having a lack of depth and strength.

After the fabolous main course, I was served a cheese platter of three different cheeses. The selection was pretty regular, nothing special, but well, it was eatable.

The atmosphere of the Gauchos Grill Restaurant was very appealing to me as it was a mixture of different styles and different lifestyles – on the one side the wooden elements which made the whole thing pretty warm and appealing – on the other side the glass front which made it modern and cold. Overall, a perfect combination. I absolutely liked it.

Last but not least we have to talk about the service: It’s just not what Dutch people are good at. Initially, I was served the Carpaccio and the Tomato Soup at the same time. Although the soup’s real destiny was the neighbour table and the salad of my friend came right after (meaning it’s not a major thing), it should just not happen. Secondly, we had to ask the waiter to bring us cutlery and to bring my glass of red wine which was part of the menu. Also, they had no clue about from which side the serve or to remove the empty plate.

Last but not least, I was promised three glasses of wine for my dishes – and well, when the cheese platter has been served, my glass of Cosecha Tardia dulce or Glass Bodega Colomé Malbec Estate was not served. I realized too late (after my double espresso) that it was forgotten so I decided to not bitch about it – but still, it’s a no go. It cannot be my task as a customer to keep track if I get served everything I’ve ordered!

Still, I guess for the prices you pay, you just can’t expect anything more really. I mean, where in Europe do you actually get 300gr Bife de Lomo for about 28 EUR? A double espresso for EUR 3.50 (besides Italy)? A wine arrangement of 3 different wines for EUR 15.00? A coke for EUR 2.20? A whole bottle of water for EUR 4.00? I don’t know any such place.

Anyway, I can absolutely recommend the restaurant Gauchos for its atmosphere, for its absolutely delicious meat and its comparatively good price performance ratio – not so much for the service though!

Rating:

Atmosphere:
Service:
Dishes (because of the meat):
Price-Performance Ratio:
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Contact Details:

Gauchos Grill Restaurant

Aert van Nesstraat 99

3012 CA Rotterdam (NL)

Tel.: +31 10 41 29 797

E-Mail: info@gauchos.nl

Homepage: http://www.gauchosgrill.nl

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.