Gaucho

September 9, 2013.


It's our blog's 1st anniversary and we decided to celebrate by trying out a new restaurant! (As if that's totally new to us.) Anyway, we ate at Gaucho Cocina Y Vinos Argentinos at Robinson's Magnolia. It was only through blog hopping that we came to know about this place, which was odd since we always frequent Robinson's Magnolia. Gaucho is located at the third floor of the al fresco area of the mall.

Gaucho is an Argentinian restaurant. Although we have already tried Argentinian/ South American cooking before in Cocina Juan, we were still quite excited to eat at Gaucho upon reading the positive reviews. Kim was personally excited to the baby lamb they serve and I was just excited to eat, haha.

We haven't been to any authentic Argentinian restaurants before, so we can't expertly say that the interiors were proper for the theme. The checkerboard floors, pastel colored walls, and stuffed animal heads hanging around the dining area all together made the ambiance interesting but remains cozy. 

 

The place is actually bigger than it looks outside since it has 2 floors and a very spacious round dining area, which we found out that is transforms into some sort of a dance floor every Tuesday for their Tuesday Milongas where everyone is free to tango. The main attraction for everyone though is the glass enclosed fire pit! Everyone is free to see and watch different meats/ animals get roasted. (Pardon for the vegetarians.)

For started we ordered the Chorze de Cerdo.

 

The chorize was roasted in olive oil and garlic. It was very aromatic, and tasted good. But there were parts of it that tasted a little burnt. Another thing is this was really very oily, and this is coming from a very unhealthy eater.

Kim was excited for her lamb, but to her disappointment they only start serving it at 7PM during weekdays (wholedays during weekends). We got there an hour early for dinner since we were really hungry. Kim had to settle for a different dish. In place of the lamb, we ordered the Falda a la Cruz.

Falda a la Cruz. 550php.

The Falda a la Cruz is US Beef Shortplate. This is from the El Pozo De Fuego (Slow Roasted from the Fire Pit) part of their menu, just like the lamb Kim was looking forward to. Everything from that part of the menu came with chimichurri sauce, organic pickles and unlimited steamed or garlic rice that can be shared. The beef was juicy and just had the right amount of fat on it, considering shortplate is usually a little tough and very fatty since it comes from the belly. The chimichurri was a great partner to the beef, as is always the case with grilled meats.

We also ordered Pollo Asado.

Pollo Asado. 360php

The Pollo Asada is a roasted half chicken. It's roasted in a coal brick oven, with just olive oil, lemon and garlic. It came in a clay pot and was swimming in some of its juices. This has got to be the most tender chicken we have ever had-- the meat can literally be taken of the bone! We tried putting chimichurri sauce on it also, and it works!

We'll surely try to come back here to get a taste of the roasted baby lamb they have. And I'm sure there's more to the menu that we would love to try including some of their desserts! Hmm, maybe we'll try to drop by on a Tuesday and see how people tango.

Gaucho Cocina Y Vinos Argentinos

3rd Floor Al Fresco, Robinson's Magnolia,

Quezon City

(02) 654 3184

https://www.facebook.com/gauchomanila

Gumbo: A Taste of New Orleans

February 23, 2012. Saturday.

After watching the Final Four of the Women's Volleyball tournament of the UAAP, we proceeded to Gateway Mall to have dinner. We really didn't have a preference on where to eat, so we took the first restaurant that wasn't packed. And that was Gumbo.

Gumbo is a New Orleans themed restaurant. New Orleans the place has been a melting pot of different cultures for the longest time. Influences of the French and Spanish can be seen infused with the local southern Louisiana cooking. This make up a good portion of Cajun cuisine, which typifies the Gumbo menu. Gumbo itself is actually a dish that can trace its origins from the fusing of these different influences.

The place itself was a little small, but you it didn't feel cramped. The interior had a "French Quarters" feel and look going on for it. I've never been to New Orleans, or the French Quarters for that matter, but this is how I imagine it to be based on all those movies I've seen. The servers were very attentive and courteous in taking our orders, and in serving them as well. Service was really fast and efficient without compromising the quality of the food.

We ordered the following.

Seafood Spaghetti.

Seafood Spaghetti. 345php.

Joseph and the JT's eldest sister ordered the Seafood Spaghetti. It was a pomodoro sauce based pasta that had shrimps, mussels and squid tossed in it. A pomodoro pasta is usually a light meal or snack, but based on Gumbo's servings this wasn't meant to be a light snack at all. And what you see in the picture is just the petite version. Joseph only had one thing to say about his meal, "Bennissimo." So I'm assuming, he was totally satisfied by this. Big bowl of seafood pasta goodness.

Cajun Shrimps Kebab.

Cajun Shrimp Kebab. 395php.

Kim loves shrimps, and since shrimp and seafood is a big part of Cajun cooking, she had to order something with shrimp in it. As soon as it was served, you could smell the nice grilled, garlic butter which wafted from the black baby prawns. It came with rice, veggies and corn. Kim loved everything about this dish except for the veggies, well mainly because she doesn't eat vegetables that much.

Cajun Fried Chicken.

Cajun Fried Chicken. 395php.

When this arrived on our table, JT was surprised at how big the serving was. This was supposed to be good for one, and it came with 3 pieces of chicken. The chicken is coated and seasoned with different spices before being fried into golden perfection. I wasn't able to taste this but it sure did look good from where I was seated.

Grilled Pork Chops

Grilled Pork Chops. 395php.

JT's youngest sibling ordered the Grilled Pork Chops. The plate had a generous cut of pork, together with mixed veggies and Cajun rice. It looked juicy and tender, and certainly aromatic from all the spices.
Shrimp and Steak Combo.

Shrimp and Steak Combo.

I wanted some shrimp since it seemed so predominant in southern cooking, but I also wanted some steak. Dilemma. Good thing, Gumbo served a Shrimp and Steak Combo which solved my mini food problem. The shrimp used was the same as Kim's order, black baby prawns. My hotplate also had a nice cut of ribeye topped off with mushroom gravy. The prawns had a nice sweet flavor to it, while the steak was a little chewy despite it being well done. This plate is a nice compromise if you want to have both seafood and meat.

Gumbo's menu might seem intimidating at first with the prices. But with the hefty servings, they offer good value for your money. Most of their dishes are really good for sharing, so if you're with a group that has a big appetite, dining in Gumbo might provide you a good opportunity to sample dishes that you don't see in most restaurants in the Metro. All our orders were just the petite serving size and they were still good enough to share. The staff is also very attentive and friendly which is a big plus.

Gumbo: A Taste of New Orleans
2F Gateway Mall,

Araneta Center, Cubao,

Quezon City

(02) 440- 4632
http://www.gumbo.com.ph/