Foodie Fantasy - Gaucho’s DIFC

Last Monday, Ian and I had dinner at Gaucho’s, which I was really looking forward to – You just can’t be perfectly cooked Argentinian steak!

Already a Gaucho officiando, as it has been a regular haunt of mine for years in London, I was very much looking forward to seeing if there would be any difference.  Located in the heart of DIFC in Gate Village, this stunning restaurant is accessed either from Gate Village or else directly from the car park – For those wanting a discrete entrance, or just valet parking. 

The Gaucho brand is very evident throughout the venue.  The cowhide seats, black décor and tables (which you expect from the brand), adds a sense of luxury which you find in all the restaurants.

Bife de Cuadril

 

The staff, as you would expect were excellent throughout the night.  With a warm welcome, our waitress for the evening Jacelyn was lovely and friendly.  She knew the menu inside out, and was able to tell us what wines we should consider to go with each dish that was selected, which is vitally important for vino novices like ourselves who tend to stick to mocktails or cocktails.

Both Ian and myself started with the asparagus soup with truffle oil.  I had never had this in any Gaucho’s and loved it.  The creamy soup was perfectly seasoned and buttery.  It made me question why I had never made it myself (it is now on the list for my next dinner party), and was a great intro into what the rest of the dinner would bring for us.

Grilled Asparagus

Being pregnant, the starter that I would have loved were the Scallops (Ian made sure to order these and very much enjoyed them), but I was happy when my starter – King Prawn Chorizo and Orange – arrived.  Ian had food envy when he caught sight of the huge juicy butterflied prawns had been lightly grilled and were delivered, with fresh pea shoots making the dish look beautiful, to our table.  The slightly sweet orange coulis, with just hint of chilli, perfectly complemented the meat of the prawns.  Divine!

As a main course, I have to admit that I was boring; I overlooked the large menu and favourites of mine such as the Risotto, to focus purely on the steak.  I mean, when in Rome and all that… but I did question this choice.  Under ordinary circumstances I would have my steak blue, I like to taste the meat and the more juices that flow from the steak, the better.  Unfortunately, I am not allowed this at the moment.  As I am pregnant, my steak has to be well done.  I couldn’t go that far though and asked for a medium to well-done Bife de Cuadril (fillet steak), with mashed potato and truffle.  Ian’s order mirrored my own.  We both shared the asparagus and quails eggs with Parmesan shavings.  Both steaks were cooked to perfection and it was great to have the truffle oil not over power the mashed potato as I have found it to in other restaurants.

Vanilla Pannecotta

By this point, I was ashamed to say I was full.  Ian ordered the deconstructed Vanilla Pannecotta and declared it to be the best desert in Dubai.  The wonderful creaminess was perfectly sweetened with the vanilla and it was light too, meaning he didn’t feel the bloat that he would usually experience by having desert with such a large dinner.

It really was a great dinner.  All in all, I can’t wait to return once bump is born so that I can have the steak exactly as I love it.