At first glance, Gaucho – tucked away on St Mary’s Street – seems fairly unassuming, like any other restaurant with its sleek black exterior and simple white signage.
However, all is not what it seems – it’s hard to believe that the building was once a Methodist church, with its monochrome colour scheme and cowhide chairs. Sparkling chandeliers hang from the glass panelled ceiling and the old organ pipes remain, a nod to its former life.
As we stepped inside, a cosy bar area gave way to the main room, which is made up of three levels. We were seated in a booth and presented with the Electro Brunch menu.
The Electro Brunch takes place every Saturday from 11am-4pm, with a live DJ playing a host of disco-inspired tracks.
Once you take your seat, you can take your pick from any of the food and drink on offer for the next two hours, and there’s plenty to choose from.
The regular brunch costs £49.95 per person with a £10 deposit to secure the booking, or you can upgrade to the premium brunch for £59.95 for a wider selection of drinks.
We started with an Aperol Spritz and my first meal of choice was the Gaucho Benedict, which put their signature Argentinian twist on the classic Eggs Benedict as it came with salt beef. It may seem like an unusual combination, but it worked, though if you prefer a more traditional option, the Eggs Royale comes with smoked salmon and is just as good.
Next we opted for a drink from the premium menu – I went for a classic Pornstar Martini while my mum chose the sparkling Chandon rosé. The only other option was an Espresso Martini, and as I’m not the biggest fan of coffee, I do wish there had been a couple more drinks on offer.
There was still plenty to try from the menu though, and after some Googling – many of the items were unfamiliar to me – we settled on the Chorizipan Sandwich and the Baked Provoleta.
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They sound much more complicated than they are – the sandwich provides a new take on the classic sausage sandwich, including a handful of chopped red peppers and chimichurri sauce, which contains parsley, minced garlic, oregano and red wine vinegar.
The Baked Provoleta was made up of caramelised onions, oregano and aji molido, which is chilli powder to you and me. It was served with a side of sourdough toast and a generous helping of provoleta, an Argentinean cheese produced with a pulled-curd technique to give it a springy texture.
The two hours went by surprisingly fast as we took our time between dishes and our waitress ensured we always had a drink in hand. As the restaurant has no windows, it feels like it could be any time of day or night and means there are no distractions from whatever’s going on in the outside world, allowing you to focus on the food and fully immerse yourself in the experience – there wasn’t a smart phone in sight.
So if you’re looking for an afternoon treat one weekend and don’t mind trying something different, Gaucho is definitely the place to go.
Find out more about the Electro Brunch here.
