BUENOS Aires with all its colourful buzz comes to Didsbury. It’s a beefed up claim from the Argentine steak chain that can’t even spell Cow correctly, but the omens are good for CAU at the former Zizzi site on Wilmslow Road.
This side project of the Gaucho chain, a perennial TOM favourite, certainly looks the sleek, part with its corrugated booths, blue sky and clouds imagery. 110 covers across a bright spacious dining room plus a 50-seater heated terrace for al fresco.
“Think La Boca (above), Buenos Aires, and the colourful corrugated iron houses lined-up at the mouth of the river – we want the feeling and weather of Buenos Aires to be felt all year round," was one quote from their marketing head.
If the grass-fed Pampas beef from the asado grill goes down well it’s a surefire winner. The all-day menu , well honed at 13 other CAUs dotted about (including Wilmslow), also includes twice-cooked pork belly (£14.50), grilled salmon (£13.50) and chicken salad (£10.50).
The steak offering pretty much mirrors Gaucho – including a Tira de Ancho, dubbed ‘The King of Steaks’; a spiral cut of rib-eye, marinated in chimichurri and grilled slowly for maximum tenderness. Phil Crozier, Gaucho and CAU’s canny wine guru, has created six Argentine brands to match the menu, which will be rolled out, too, at a further CAU planned for MediaCity next year.
Cau Didsbury, 700 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 2DN. 01614 481 883, http://www.caurestaurants.com
