Latest news with #Gaucho
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Pet owners praise country pub chain's 'dog-friendly' dining
Whether it's a swift pint, a leisurely lunch after a ramble in the countryside, pooches will be greeted with warmth and open arms As dog lovers know, furry friends are an important part of the family, not to be left at home while the humans have all the fun. Proudly dog-friendly, Vintage Inns extends a warm welcome to everyone, including four-legged friends. Amid the hustle and bustle of modern life, Vintage Inns provide a welcome respite from the to and fro. Each pub has been designed to feel like a home away from home, offering a cosy atmosphere with modern country interiors. From Inverness in the north to Devon in the south, from Cardiff to the Norfolk sands, each of the pubs aims to offer an authentic taste of British countryside hospitality. Whether it's a swift pint, a leisurely lunch after a ramble in the countryside, or a relaxed evening meal, pooches will be greeted with warmth and open arms. Vintage Inns offer a traditional menu that caters to contemporary tastes—think perfectly cooked pub classics like freshly battered fish and chips, indulgent sticky toffee pudding and hearty Sunday roasts. Alongside these favourites, each location serves a range of seasonal delights and an extensive drinks menu. As a special weekend treat, diners can tuck into the Weekend Treat Menu, offering three courses from £30. Available on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm, guests can enjoy dishes such as the honey-baked whole camembert for two to share and the tender slow-cooked pork belly. For dessert, the lemon tart with blueberry and prosecco compote and fresh cream offers a refreshing finish. To complement the weekend dining experience, selected bottles of wine are available to share for just £20. For daytime diners, Vintage Inns is also offering a Lunch Set Menu which includes two courses from £17.50. Choose from pub favourites like beef and red wine lasagne, or something a little different like a chicken katsu rice bowl. If the Vintage Inn menu isn't quite right, Harvester restaurants offer their famous unlimited salad bar and a choice of good-value meals in 164 locations throughout the UK. Elsewhere, Gaucho restaurants claim to be exceedingly dog-friendly, even offering activities for dogs and dogs lovers at selected locations. Specialising in Argentinian steaks and cuisine, Gaucho has a high end restaurant vibe that is a little more formal than a cosy Vintage Inn. Diners who have already experienced the comfort of a Vintage Inn have left reviews for various locations on TripAdvisor. One customer said: "We visited The Golden Retriever pub in Bracknell yesterday with our two rescue German Shepherd dogs. The place is amazing inside and out and the staff were really friendly." Another added: "The Barge Inn, Woolstone. Extremely attentive and friendly bar staff. Lovely cosy interior - beams! Very dog friendly. Nice and clean. Made to feel so welcome - will definitely be back. Had my favourite pink gin. The creme brulee was delicious!" A diner who visited The Priory in Portbury said: "Had a fabulous steak meal at the Priory at Portbury highly recommend it. Steak cooked to perfection and well presented. Staff were extremely friendly and nothing was too much trouble. Not every visitor was quite so impressed. One disappointed diner left a three-star review after finding items not available on the menu: "My husband and I went to the Three Legged Cross Inn. It was 7 p.m. We were told that there were no steak meals left." However, they added: "The meals we had were of good quality, the atmosphere was pleasant, and our waitress was pleasant and attentive." Overall, most guests, with four legs or two, enjoyed their experience. One five-star review for The Globe in Bath summed it up saying: "Absolutely wonderful evening meal for our son's birthday. Even the dog enjoyed it! "The staff were so friendly and attentive and the service was prompt even though the restaurant was completely full. The food was presented beautifully and so tasty and fresh!"
Scottish Sun
19-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Iconic award-winning restaurant famed for 6-foot tall robot waiter & hidden members' ‘den' to shut for good in days
The owners are also closing a beloved pub WAIT A MINUTE Iconic award-winning restaurant famed for 6-foot tall robot waiter & hidden members' 'den' to shut for good in days AN ICONIC steak restaurant where diners were served by a six-foot Champagne robot will close its doors in just a few days time. The eatery has offered fine dining, with signature features including a concealed members' den, for more than a decade. 4 M Restaurant used to be attended by London's elite Credit: Alamy 4 M featured in the prestigious Square Mile of London's inner city Credit: google maps 4 Marion the champagne robot will be powering down this week Credit: Facebook M Restaurant, the decadent dinner spot located in London's central Square Mile, will shut for good in only a few days time. The exact closure date is currently unknown, but City A.M. reports it will shut at some point this week. M Restaurant boasted a series of signature features, including an extravagant yacht which could be chartered for meals on the Thames. There were other eye-catching headliners such as a six-foot robotic waiter serving Champagne waiter, a hidden member's 'den', dog-friendly brunches, and even vending machines just for wine. The decision to close the restaurant comes less than a year since M's founder, Martin Williams, left its parent company Rare Restaurants in October. He was succeeded by the enterprise's new chief executive, Baton Berisha, who took over in March. There is speculation that a review of M's rent on Threadneedle Street in central London has contributed to its closure. Moreover, it is understood that Mr Berisha is focused on Rare's Gaucho restaurant brand, which makes up the company's core. Consequently, the company is also set to close the Crane Tap pub in Twickenham next week. This will leave Rare Restaurants with only Gaucho restaurants in its portfolio. Thankfully, no redundancies are expected at either M or the Crane Tap. Instead, staff will be offered work at Gaucho restaurants near to the closing establishments. Beloved pizza chain to close down for good in just weeks after 54 years There are currently no scheduled closures of Gaucho restaurants. Rare Restaurants has declined to comment either publicly, or when approached by the Sun. In its heyday, M Restaurant was a City of London staple for high-flying diners. The iconic eatery opened its doors back in 2014, and quickly became a second home for bustling business people. The establishment imported steaks and grapes from across the globe with a first class kitchen and wine cellar. Its roaring success led to a second branch opening in Victoria in 2015, and even a third restaurant being added in Canary Wharf just three years ago. But, like so many other businesses, M has struggled to recover from hard times during and after the pandemic. These led to the Canary Wharf and Victoria branches closing in 2023 - which will be joined by the Square Mile eatery this week. Mr Williams, M's founder and former owner, is now chief executive at Evolv, which operates restaurants including the Michelin starred Angler. He has said he would not bring M Restaurant into his Evolv portfolio. Speaking to City A.M. last year, he said: "M Restaurant was a moment in time and it was really special. It's 10 years old and, at its peak, we had everyone in the City there. "You could smell the room – it was a powerhouse. Everybody there knew somebody else. 'I don't think I'd put my name on a restaurant today [M stands for Martin]. "In 2014 it felt like the right thing to do, and it was very memorable. But it makes the restaurant so attached to you personally and reliant on you being there. "I loved what I did, we built that company from nothing and sold it for £8 million."
Metro
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Metro
9 tips for a delicious BBQ — and the mistake where 'so many go wrong'
You know the British summer has finally arrived when you can smell BBQ in the air. We may end up with raw sausages and burnt-to-a-crisp steaks, but that doesn't stop us getting the Barbie on the minute the sun comes out. With temperatures peaking this week, Brits have just a few more days of sun before cooler weather returns — so, there's no time like the present to get grilling. However, we all know that cooking the perfect BBQ meal is a fine art, and no one wants to disappoint the army of hungry guests desperately waiting for that first chicken drumstick to be ready. Need some help? Mike Reid, culinary director of Gaucho, shared his top BBQ tips – from pre-cooking to the clean up, so you can nail that first BBQ of the year… A poor workman always blame his tools, so make sure you have a great pair of tongs and a spatula to cook with. Mike also recommends finding good brushes and spray bottles to apply marinades while cooking. 'You don't need a BBQ fork though – they can do more harm than good when grilling as they create holes in your food and allow the juices to pour out,' he says. Getting the timing right before you start cooking is more important than you think. 'Make sure you always take your meat out of the fridge at least half an hour in advance of cooking it,' Mike explains. 'This will ensure it cooks all the way through at the desired temperature without having to overcook it. 'This is important when cooking meat or fish which needs to be slightly under in the middle.' This is a big one that can make or break your BBQ, as Mike says 'moisture is where so many people go wrong on the BBQ', and that marinades are important here. 'Marinades don't just add flavour, they help to keep food moist on the BBQ too. 'You need to keep basting your meat and veggies in butter, oil or marinades to keep them moist.' Don't let the veg be an after thought – give them some pizzazz too. 'A dry rub or marinade will turbo charge the flavour of the food you're cooking,' notes Mike. 'They're not just for meats, but veggies too. 'Cooking over flames is a great way to extract flavour from vegetables. I am a firm believer in going against the trend of cutting your vegetables small for the grill, I think it's much better to leave them bigger or even whole and cook them for longer on a gentler heat to really extract their flavour.' Struggling to get the BBQ going? Mike share 'a great little hack'. He says: 'When out on the road or camping is to simply scrunch up a piece of paper towel, cover in vegetable oil and then light in the middle of your coals. 'It burns hotter and longer this way and will kick start your coals.' Then, wait for the perfect flame to actually start cooking your meat. 'If cooking with coal or wood, once lit, don't rush to cook on them – give it time to die down,' Mike says. 'You need to wait for them to fully ignite and turn white. That is the best time to start cook, and when you should add your food.' When cooking steak, remember that each cut needs to be cooked differently. Mike says: 'Generally the rule to work with is the higher the fat content the higher the initial heat you cook it on. 'You want that beautiful caramelisation on the first side. Whereas if you have a leaner cut like fillet or rump, you want a gentler heat to cook over as you don't have much fat to be rendering.' Mike advises using wood chips with certain types of meat for the best flavour. He suggests: 'Try using wood chips, especially when cooking fish – smoke and fish go hand in hand. Adding woodchips to your coals is a great way of getting extra smoke on to your food, enhancing the flavour considerably. 'If you soak them first in water, it will slow down how quickly they burn and generate more smoke. 'Choose what type of woodchips you will use depending on what you cook; apple wood is mild and fruity and goes well with pork, cedar is strong and is best for smoking fatty foods for example.' No one likes a soggy pasta salad, but Mike suggests an unusual ingredient. 'Try adding some BBQ fruits to your salads for an interesting twist,' says Mike. 'Always go for what's in season for the best flavour and price but some of my favourites include peaches, watermelon, mango, apple and pear. 'To cook, don't add any fat, just let the fruit release its natural sugars which will caramelise it. Then just add to a nice peppery salad, using watercress or rocket, perhaps a little goat's cheese or burrata and your guests will be blown away.' For the bit people enjoy least, Mike has some hacks to make it easier. More Trending 'To clean your grill, spray with vinegar, leave for about 5 minutes and then scrub clean with some scrunched-up foil. 'Brewed coffee is also a great way to tackle grease on your BBQ, given its level of acidity. Just pour into a large basin and soak your grates for around an hour. View More » 'Rinse with warm water, and they will be good as new. This also works for utensils.' Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Sandringham Estate forced to close after 'plumbing issue' on hottest day of the year MORE: Slower than usual? The warm weather is affecting your brain MORE: Map shows where in the UK is set to reach 29 degrees this week
Glasgow Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
All the freebies London Marathon 2025 runners can claim
With 26 miles across the capital, it takes months to train for, with a strict diet and training regime, all in a bid to cross the finish line and take home an impressive medal. But, there are more perks to running the marathon, with the chance to get free meals from a range of restaurants throughout London. Whether it's a burger, steak or a pint you're after, there are plenty of places offering free food and drinks to London Marathon medallists. All the freebies London Marathon runners can claim Gaucho is offering free steak Restaurant chain Gaucho, is offering runners a complimentary steak from the day of the race (April 27) up until May 1. All you have to do is present your medal at any of Gaucho's London restaurants, and in exchange, you will get a free steak. Free pints at Market Place Food Hall Vauxhall On the day of the marathon, runners can get a free pint of any draft beer on offer at Market Place Food Hall Vauxhall. Just show off your medal, and in exchange, you will be rewarded with an ice-cold pint of your choice. Coffee and a brownie at Cutter & Squidge London Marathon runners in need of caffeine can head to Cutter & Squidge's Soho bakery and get a free coffee and brownie. Only on April 27, when you show off your medal in the store, you will be treated to a sweet treat. Free pasta at Pastaio Pasta restaurant, Pastaio, in Soho, is offering runners a free bowl of pasta on race day when you present your medal. Runners get to choose a pasta dish of their choice, including Casarecce with wild garlic and hazelnut pesto and stracciatella, and Spaghetti with Amalfi lemon, basil and parmesan. A ride on City Cruises City Cruises is offering London Marathon runners a free ride down the River Thames and 30 per cent off for family and friends using the code marathon30. All you need to do is show up at the booking office with your medal to claim the free ride. Free travel on TfL All London Marathon runners will get to take the TfL service for free on Sunday, April 27, just show your medal to a staff member. Recommended Reading Free bath bomb from Lush Lush is giving runners two free products from its new magnesium range: a bath bomb and a massage bar. To claim the free items, just head to a Lush store between April 27 and April 30 and show your medal to a staff member.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
All the freebies London Marathon runners can claim - from pints to steak
There's no doubt about it, running the London Marathon is not for the faint-hearted. With 26 miles across the capital, it takes months to train for, with a strict diet and training regime, all in a bid to cross the finish line and take home an impressive medal. But, there are more perks to running the marathon, with the chance to get free meals from a range of restaurants throughout London. Whether it's a burger, steak or a pint you're after, there are plenty of places offering free food and drinks to London Marathon medallists. Restaurant chain Gaucho, is offering runners a complimentary steak from the day of the race (April 27) up until May 1. All you have to do is present your medal at any of Gaucho's London restaurants, and in exchange, you will get a free steak. On the day of the marathon, runners can get a free pint of any draft beer on offer at Market Place Food Hall Vauxhall. Just show off your medal, and in exchange, you will be rewarded with an ice-cold pint of your choice. London Marathon runners in need of caffeine can head to Cutter & Squidge's Soho bakery and get a free coffee and brownie. Only on April 27, when you show off your medal in the store, you will be treated to a sweet treat. Pasta restaurant, Pastaio, in Soho, is offering runners a free bowl of pasta on race day when you present your medal. Runners get to choose a pasta dish of their choice, including Casarecce with wild garlic and hazelnut pesto and stracciatella, and Spaghetti with Amalfi lemon, basil and parmesan. City Cruises is offering London Marathon runners a free ride down the River Thames and 30 per cent off for family and friends using the code marathon30. All you need to do is show up at the booking office with your medal to claim the free ride. All London Marathon runners will get to take the TfL service for free on Sunday, April 27, just show your medal to a staff member. Recommended Reading F ind out the start times and waves for the London Marathon What is the route for the London Marathon 2025? All to know about the course What to do if you can no longer run in the London Marathon and want to defer Lush is giving runners two free products from its new magnesium range: a bath bomb and a massage bar. To claim the free items, just head to a Lush store between April 27 and April 30 and show your medal to a staff member.
