1 /5 Chan Simon (Thundercat): We booked dinner at Gaucho for a celebration, and I was genuinely looking forward to it — especially as it was my first visit after many years of living in London. The food itself was good, and I’ve included photos to reflect that. Unfortunately, the service on this particular Wednesday evening didn’t our meet expectations.
We arrived at 6:30pm, and by around 7:30pm the restaurant was full and busy. What stood out was that one waitress appeared to be managing a very large number of tables on her own. She was consistently attentive, taking orders, serving drinks, and clearing plates throughout the evening.
In contrast, the managers on duty seemed less engaged with the wider dining area. Although they occasionally helped clear a table or two, there were several moments when nearby tables needed attention and guests were waiting. At one point, a manager spent considerable time with a group of regular customers but did not check in with surrounding tables, including ours. Eventually, I had to signal to request the bill. It was brought over, but there was no check‑in about how our meal had been or any closing interaction. For a bill of over £220, the lack of acknowledgement felt surprising. Before leaving, we made a point to thank the waitress who had been working so hard, and she responded warmly. However, as we exited, the front‑of‑house team were engaged in conversation and didn’t notice us leaving.
Based on this experience, I don’t plan to return, and I wouldn’t recommend this particular location to family or friends or colleagues. The food was enjoyable, but the service on this visit didn’t reflect the standard I expected. I genuinely hope the team reviews their approach to workload distribution and guest engagement, as the waitress working that evening was doing an excellent job under pressure.