Our Jack heads down to CAU‘s latest opening in St. Kat Dock, London – to see what the sister chain to Gaucho have been getting up to. Hint: mainly beef and things related to beef.
Rating
In A Word
Polished
Cuisine
Steakhouse (Argentinian)
Appeals To
Beefeaters, meat feasters, carnivores and meat biased omnivores of any and every persuasion and nationality
People who really love Malbec. Here you shall find choice beyond your wildest dreams – such as a menu consisting entirely of this grape and strange stuff like fortified Malbec (Zuccardi Malmado ‘port style Malbec’)
People ‘keen’ on the food and drink of South America – it’s not just meat (though the focus is Argentina in specific).
Have a CAU Man
Could we have discovered the holy grail?
A ‘high street’ steakhouse with FLAWLESS EXECUTION? Perhaps…
CAU (pronounced ‘cow’ – can you guess why?) stands for ‘Carne Argentina Unica’ – and they’re all about the delicious grassed Argentinian beef. Apparently the Argentinians have two centuries of experience breeding Aberdeen Angus cows on the fertile Pampas (which means high quality, Buenos Aires style cow at reasonable prices) (…at least when compared to other steakhouses)). Someone told me (and this may be wrong) that the Argentinians consume more beef per person than any other country (even ‘murica!)
[the open kitchen blends into restaurant and actually feels like part of the decor, not an ‘annexe’. I later go and find the chef who cooks my steak so i can tell him how good he is at cooking steak
Anyhow, the first CAU opened in 2012 – and the one you see before you (St. Katherine Dock) is the 10th restaurant so far, arriving in April 2015. CAU are expanding pretty quickly and can be found all over the UK at this point (Liverpool, Cambridge, Tunbridge Wells, etc.). There’s even one in Amsterdam (ever eaten half a kilo of ribeye steak whilst stoned off of your face? Now you can!)
It may also be interesting to know that CAU are the sister chain to Gaucho. Having never eaten at Gaucho, I can’t tell you what the differences are exactly, but I can tell you that CAU’s a very good place to go and get a steak. Probably the best ‘high street’ style steakhouse I have seen yet. Well done, CAU (*insert joke about ‘raising the stakes’ here)
The Atmosphere
There’s a bar straight in the centre of things, which helps you realise how big the venue actually is.
St Katherine dock is the first central London location, with quayside views, walls decorated with freshly cut grass and blue skies, 160 covers and enough meat to provoke an international incident with PETA. The overall look is a little ‘fine dining in my South American gastro shed’.
It takes a while to get served at the beginning, which gives me time to take in CAU’s atmosphere. Plastic white and black seats. It’s like ‘gastro garden furniture’. Swivel on your pseudo-office-chair whilst your sofa bound ‘co-diner’ looks on in bemusement (and I do). The walls are made up of an imitation version of the corrugated sheeting. I wonder, how has such a huge brand gone completely un-noticed to me? I don’t know.
Our time here is an excellent one – the wait staff wear shirts that say ‘CAUGIRL/COWBOY’ (depending on which gender they have decided to spend this incarnation as obviously). The maître d has tweed patches on his elbows. I am initially curious to find out if that’s an Argentine thing, but the guy turns out to be about as English as it comes.
I have brought a Spanish woman along to help with some translations. I don’t really need her around since y’know…this is an English chain, but it helps for later when our splendid waiter, Alex, wants to talk the rapid, unstilted Castilian of his homeland. Alex is half Peruvian, half Spanish and gets confused by Alejandra Facetiming her Dad (who, despite being in Spain, wants to see what CAU is all about).
The walls are decorated with a wallpaper that depicts grass. I assume this is to represent the luscious Argentinian Pampas?
Drinks come first, so I’ll talk about them first.
The Drinks
There’s about 16 cocktails here, all priced at £6.25 – which is rather reasonable for London prices. There’s also something called ‘Salta Clericot’ – an Argentinian, wine based drink that can be ordered by the glass, jug (or large jug). I wonder if it’s anything like Sangria?
And there is lots of wine. Wine rating system: ‘nice’, ‘very nice’ and ‘malbec’. Lulz
We test the following:
Avalon Sidre
So yes, they make cider in Asturias – who would have known? (I probably should have). Seeing this, I had to order it. As for the taste: legit. Dry, earthy, and bitter. A proper ‘traditional’ cider that reminds me of some of the ones I’ve tried in the South West.
Andeluna ‘1300’ Malbec, 2014
Fruity, light – low in tannins, high in FROLICS. Pairs well with…life It’s after a 3 week wine hiatus (which, if you don’t know, will improve the taste of any wine) but for about £10 wholesale, DAYUM. Plums, a little spice and lovely balance
The Food
They have a couple of daily specials – so you’re guaranteed at least a small amount of variety each time you go there. The menu is double sided, A3, and very well thought through. Do bear in mind, this is a steakhouse, which means that shit can get ridiculously expensive if you opt mainly for larger portioned, meat courses
We ‘meat’ the following dishes
Spinach Ricotta And Date Empanada
Sweeter than expected but not particularly memorable.
Spicy Ground Beef & Onion Empanada
Spiced in a way that reminds me somewhat of a samosa – again, not too memorable. It’s just a pasty.
Swordfish Carpaccio
More like it! A starter in which swordfish works as a backdrop for parsley and garlicky flavours. Despite the thinness of the slices, its actually super moist and rich. Also spicy enough to be interesting, which reinforces the oil and garlic flavours. The fish is basically a subtle support/backdrop for what they’ve done to carpaccio, though there is an ever so slightly oily note coming through if you look for it. Carpaccio always tends to taste like you’re getting healthier with your life.
Lomito
This is described by both Alex and the menu as ‘the finest cut in Argentina’. It’s also not the most expensive. Beautifully done (blue) 500g ‘Lomito’ steak – which is essentially just a huge rump steak – South American style. Simple steak perfection, but a lack of marbling takes the creaminess out of it. This is OK to me – it tastes very ‘clean’. Pure protein for pure protein people.
Rib Eye
Alejandra orders this one seared on the outside and seems surprised when it arrives that way. Far too well done for my liking – I know some of you guys like it that way but I will never understand you.
Dulce De Leche Pancakes
These are pancakes topped with ice cream and a traditional Argentinian caramel sauce. They are essentially mouth porn. Sin. Caloric debauchery. I can’t begin to describe the delicious diabetes. Deliciobetes. What’s going on? Where am I?
The Verdict
CAU is SLICK. There is a certain level of …’perfection’ to the execution of the experience and the design of the venue that gives it a ‘chain’ feel. But don’t let this distract you from quality of the food and drink on offer – which is the main thing. The main promise of CAU, I think, is Argentine style food & drink plus steaks, small plates and no miss takes (*jazz hands*). And that is what they have delivered – at least in my humble opinion.
No, it’s not cheap (though neither is it ‘top end’), and it’s not particularly unique (though it is slightly tongue in check, which is enough to be memorable). And, as far the food goes, and based on this one experience, it was faultless. Now to come back and see what a ‘bar’ experience’ is like at CAU. And try the Salta Clericot!
The Details
http://www.caurestaurants.com/book-a-table/st-katharine-docks/
020 7702 0341
1 Commodity Quay, London E1W 1AZ.
