How now browned cow?

Place: Gaucho Grill, 133 West George Street, Glasgow Telephone:

0141-204 5211 Other information Open noon-midnight daily. Smoking permitted throughout. Disabled access and toilet. All major credit cards taken.

When I suggested to my friend Anne that we tried the Gaucho Grill, she was far from enthusiastic - but I couldn't work out why. However, as we entered this haven of creamy chocolate browns, dark wood, leather and chrome, she gasped with surprise and it became clear why she'd had reservations. Anne had been expecting droopy sombreros, pictures of Speedy Gonzalez, and an insistence that mucho tequila be downed on arrival.

The Gaucho Grill - a 160-seater Argentinian restaurant - is on two floors and inhabits the corner of West George Street where Cruise used to be. There are six other branches scattered over London and Amsterdam, and it's easy to understand its success. The menu is succinct yet tempting, the interior a pleasure to sit in - and, most importantly, the place does not feel part of a chain at all.

The speciality is Argentinian beef in various guises - steak, ribs, liver and sausages. Lamb and fish feature as well, and there are even vegetarian options. But given the leather and hairiness of the decor and the hymn to beef that constitutes the menu, it would be a brave and not very committed veggie who strolled in here for a sherry.

For starters I have tuna carpaccio - #5 for a large portion of wafer-thin slices of tuna sprinkled with capers. Very tasty, but the dish hasn't made up its mind whether to hang its hat on the cold or hot peg. In my book it has to be cold, not lukewarm, so the course is abandoned halfway through.

Anne orders matambre (#4.25) for her starter. We ask what it is but don't understand a word other than "beef". However, feeling adventurous, we order it anyway. It looks like a large, square, flat Scotch egg made with a good slab of spicy, peppered, lean beef - and is very good indeed. It is an ideal appetite-whetter, as is the Argentinian sauvignon blanc at #18.95. A little decadent for lunch, perhaps - but hey, we are high on the plains of South America.

Bring on the next batch of fatted cow. Anne plumps for a 225g sirloin steak (#10). You choose the cut and weight and it is cooked to order and accompanied by one of four sauces. She chooses mushroom. The steak is cooked perfectly and tastes marvellous, while the sauce is creamy, buttery and rich. Happily it comes in a side dish so we can share it.

Lomo and lobster tail for me (#17). Lomo translates as fillet, which arrives on a large plate accompanied by a fat, split, grilled lobster tail. The steak is tender and delicious, but the lobster is overdone - and, strangely, I suspect there is a slight whiff of chlorine. Maybe it has had a dip in the local baths before arriving for lunch.

All side orders are extra - we go for palmitos salad (#4). The palm hearts look more like palm trees, standing vertical in the centre of the plate, and disappear fast. We also go for the handcut chips (#1.50), which are squat, crunchy and salty. The grilled vegetables (#3) are al dente, charred and tasty.

The sweets slip down easily too: pancake filled with creme fraiche and drizzled with honey for me, and a creme caramel affair for Anne. Yum.

Afterwards we meander upstairs to look round. It is getting dark outside, and we decide this would be a spectacular place for an evening meal - huge picture windows give a great view over bustling, twinkling Glasgow. Table 39 is the one to book if there are six or more of you - circular, and with a perfect view of everything and everyone for miles around.

Copyright 1999
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