Gaucho (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

Despite my recent setback with Restaurant Week events, I've decided to give their 2018 Summer edition a go this week. They have around 100 participating restaurants this time around, with Tosca and Petrus headlining an elite group of fine-dining restaurants in the show. There were some interesting options there and at the end, I went with Gaucho, the Argentinian Steakhouse at LHT Tower in Central.



It's my first visit to Gaucho, a Dining Concepts restaurant (which explains why I haven't been here before) in the heart of Central. I found the vibe to be a little "interesting" for a steakhouse. I thought the decor is much more suited for a bar or nightclub than a restaurant (OK, it's also a bar).



I wanted to check out their regular menu to see how it stacked up against the special menu so Jelloman and I ended up ordering from the two separate menu.



I was the one after the Restaurant Week menu and starting things off for me was tuna ceviche with guacamole, chili and soy. This was surprisingly nice with the guacamole, chili and spicy soy all working well with the tuna sashimi. 



Jelloman had the chili-fried squid. Despite the lovely crispy crust, I thought the batter and squid were both very bland. The spring onion, coriander and aji amarillo sauce did their part but that's kind of wasted.



And the wheels began to fall off from here, ironically from their bread and butter steak. This sliced rump steak came from the Restaurant Week menu, which I had the honor of having. It was described as the leanest cut with a pure and distinctive flavor. It was served with ratatouille and rocket.

I agreed it was lean but there's no pure and distinctive flavor I'm afraid. In fact, the texture was really tough and rubbery without much flavor. Very disappointing.



Bife de chorizo was their beef sirloin which was supposed to be tender and succulent at the same time. Based on what I've read from the menu, it's supposed to be an upgrade over the rump steak. I would agree that it's an upgrade from the rump because it's slightly less chewy but to say it's flavorful, tender and succulent, that would be the furthest from the truth as it could get.

To sum it up, I thought both steaks were disappointing. I know I can be pretty picky when it comes to beef so I didn't have high expectations coming in but these were even worse than what I've expected from any steakhouse.

Personally, I think a lot of these participating restaurants are getting the Restaurant Week concept completely wrong. In my opinion, they should be showcasing some of their best dishes at a discounted price to attract new customer base but over the years, time and time again, I'm seeing these restaurants putting together crappy menu with lesser ingredients in order to match the drop in price. That's really not going to bring these new customers back.



Gaucho's signature dulce de leche cheesecake was one of the most popular cheesecakes in town so I was more than happy to see it on the Restaurant Week menu although it did cost me an additional 20 bucks. This decadent dessert was really rich in flavor with incredible texture. It was served with salted dulce de leche and toasted marshmallow.



It's once again another disappointing Restaurant Week experience. A steakhouse with a bad steak is never going to bring me back. Period.

Food Rating: 3.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 5/F, LHT Tower, 31 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2386-8090
Website: www.gauchorestaurants.com/restaurants/hong-kong/