Food Review: Gluten Free Gaucho Electro Brunch

Ever since brunch became "a thing", I've always thought it to be one of the most decidedly decadent activities any self respecting blogger could partake in.

There's something about the idea of a long lie in, following by a breakfast that slips into a lunch that spills over into either a trip to the shops or a few more drinks that screams "me time".

Needless to say, this doesn't happen very often; but when it does, my is it delicious.

Aperol Spritz, Bloody Mary, Domaine Chandon

Electro Brunch at Gaucho is described as "the ultimate bottomless brunch". Served between 11am and 4pm, Electro Brunch is a chance to sit and enjoy two hours worth of wining and dining, all to the soundtrack of cool melodic beats provided by the in house DJ.

The menu includes not just Gaucho's famous Argentine steak, but everything from Eggs Florentine to Banana Pancakes. Stepping it up from the usual Avocado Toast, Eggs Florentino and Eggs Benedict, there's also some Argentine twists such as Gaucho Benedict and Medialuna or peanut butter dulce de leche. There's also the Choripan Sandwich, chorizo sausage and chimichurri, and Beans on Toast with Spanish Chorizo.

The team were very helpful when it came to Gluten-Free offerings, and I was given a run through of what I could and could not eat.

I started with the Gaucho Benedict made gluten free. Served with Egg, Hollandaise Sauce and the addition of Salt Beef made this an unusual but delicious dish. The Salt Beef adds not just a different flavour, with the salt working well with the creamy sauce and smooth yolk, but another texture too. It's worth noting that the Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine and Eggs Royale can all be served on gluten free toast.

Next up, I had to try the steak and eggs. I asked for mine to be served medium, and it came cooked just right and topped with a fried egg. At 100g it is a manageable size for brunch too.

Finally, I tried the Beans on Toast, topped with mini hunks of cheese to add some flavour and salty seasoning.

There is another gluten-free option which is the Choripan Sandwich, which I did not try but I did manage to photograph. As you can see, this is a protein based breakfast of fried egg, sausage, mushrooms and tomato served in the pan.

Onto the non gluten-free options. My dear friends were lucky enough to have these delicious banana pancakes, a great sweet option. This can be served with either Nutella or maple syrup as it has been here.

Then there was the French Toast served with peanut butter dulce de leche and topped with strawberries and flaked almonds. I wish I could have tried this dish because it looks devine!

There is also a cheese dish on the menu, the fried provoleta served with caramelised onion chutney that was very well received.

As for the drinks; what brunch would be complete without a Bloody Mary? Sadly I'm not one for such a fortified drink, but I did get to try the Orange Zinger from the Juice Bar, which made me feel positively virtuous, and the obligatory fizz, the Domaine Chandon. My favourite naughty drink of the day was the classic Aperol Spritz.

The atmosphere was indeed, electric, when I visited a few Saturday's ago, and the interior lends itself to ear whispering and intimate conversation. That being said, I did dine as part of a very lovely group of bloggers, so fear not if you're visiting with friends and family.

Bottomless drinks, unlimited small plates and a spot in one of the city's sexiest spots, make Gaucho's Electro Brunch a top tip from me.

*I dined complimentary, with thanks to Gaucho.

Event: Gaucho Beef and Malbec Evening

Beef vs Malbec; which is your favourite? Thankfully, I didn't have to pick when I was invited to a beef and Malbec evening at newly opened Birmingham city centre hotspot, Gaucho.

Just around the corner from Colmore Row, Gaucho is a dark and brooding addition to the City dining scene, offering up a sensual serving of wine, beef and of course some lighter options.

Under the inquisitive gaze of our fellow diners, I along with a select group of bloggers was invited into the private dining room to learn a thing or two about steak and Malbec.

Hosted by Phil Crozier, affectionately known as Mr Argentina and Fernando Larroude, Gaucho's in-house beef expert, we were able to try out different cuts of steak, as well as matched wine to go with each cut.

Starting off with a little history of cattle farming in Argentina, Fernando explained how Angus breeding was taken from Scotland to Argentina in 1879, when two cows and one bull were taken over. There are now roughly 30 million Aberdeen Angus in Argentina, all grazing freely in the countryside. 

Next, we learnt that cows are on birth control (!) and that it's better to calf in winter as there is less disease around at this time of year.

Onto the hard stuff, the male cows are castrated at a few months old because this affects the meat, making it more tender, before being slaughtered at 24 months on average.

Interestingly, beef can be dry or wet aged; whilst dry aged beef loses weight, creates a dark crust and a more intense flavour, wet ageing is used when the beef is vacuum packed and sent abroad, thus keeping the meat in its own juices.

As you can see, we were then shown a whole range of beef cuts, presented in anatomically correct order; veggies look away now!

These are; the rib eye, sirloin, the flank at the top, the skirt at the bottom, the fillet which is under the sirloin, the rump cap at the end which is coated in fat, and the rump.

Onto the wine; Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world, with 85% of produce remaining in the country. Argentinian wine represents just 2% of the UK wine market, however. The first vines were planted in in 1553; seven varieties from France including two white and five red. These vines are the oldest in the world as a disease wiped out Europe's vines. All the wine on the Gaucho wine list is from Argentina, of course.

Back to the beef; we taste tasted a rump vs a fillet, with surprising results. We took the plunge and conducted this test on uncooked beef, topped with chimichurri; and it was delicious! Both cuts were beautiful, even raw, but it was interesting that the rump was more flavoursome than expected.

Our next taste test was conducted on cooked meat, where we tried picanha, skirt and flank. Apparently, flank is the most popular cut of in Argentina, and I can see why. Although I've never tried this particular cut before, I can say for certain that I would happily order this again on my next visit.

We were then able to try even more cuts, including rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye. By this point, we were pretty much in steak heaven. We also matched the beef to the Malbec, pairing the rump with a Aniello Mainque Rio Negro 2015/16, the fillet with Finca Sophenia Anti Synthesis Uco Valley Mendoza 2014, the sirloin with Luigi Bosca DOC Vistalba 2014 and the rib eye with Colome Lote Especial El Arenal, Payogasta Salta 2014.

For me, as much as I love all steak, it was interesting to see how much more flavoursome these cuts were at gaucho than at other restaurants. Personally, I usually prefer a less fatty cut, which can sometimes dry out easier than say a rib eye. However, at Gaucho, every cut was delicious, flavoursome and moist; this was steak perfection.

The wine matching was also interesting, as we learnt that the fattier the steak, the more tannin needed in the wine to balance it out.

Finally, after a brief sojourn to mix and mingle with our fellow guests, we were also able to try the most delicious chocolate truffle matched to a Port style Malbec; Malamado Malbec. This was a sweet, liqueur wine that I am dying to try again.

What's the verdict on Gaucho? Great food, great wine and an even better atmosphere make Gaucho a welcome addition to Birmingham. By day, Gaucho will do well with the Colmore Row crowd, whilst by night, I can't think of anywhere better for a naughty date. 

*With thanks to Gaucho and Rewired PR for hosting the Beef and Malbec masterclass.