The hoo-ha surrounding Gaucho opening in the city earlier in the year was extraordinary. Social media went nuts. As former London dwellers we’ve always liked Gaucho and were pleased it spread its wings to Brum, so we went. Simples.

Firstly let’s talk carpet. The squishy luxurious underfoot experience as we strolled down the walkway was reassuring. We were in for a good time. The Dyson was out twice while we were there keeping the entrance area plumped to the max. The interior of the restaurant didn’t disappoint oozing as much glamour as the bouncy carpet suggested.

The fuss clearly hadn’t subsided and the restaurant was busy. Media types floated about with the odd HSBC banker thrown in for good measure. A meat board with four different cuts was presented to us – sirloin, rump, ribeye and open ribeye. Aberdeen Angus all properly aged, we were pretty excited. Warm bread with a punchy chimichurri was delicious.

Then my starter happened. It sounded good on paper (damn you Love Island) – salmon carpaccio with egg dressing, capers, tomato and coriander. In reality egg dressing was big chunks of boiled egg on top of average salmon. It didn’t work for me. I’d remove it from the menu and move on. I moved on pronto with a top drawer glass of Malbec.

The other half’s starter appeared to come from an entirely different kitchen. A plate of mini tacos filled with sticky, spicy, deep flavoured beef ribs with chilli orange glaze was seriously good.

Then perfectly cooked sirloin with perfect chips and perfect béarnaise sauce was pretty perfect. No other words required. Pork matambre was just superb. Succulent, packed with flavour and served with a tasty cauliflower couscous – much nicer than it sounds honestly – it was really moreish.

While there wasn’t much of our five a day going on – although Malbec counts right? – we didn’t care. It was truly delicious. There’s an array of sides that’ll boost your vitamin intake if you fancy though.

A chocolate brownie with two spoons sealed the deal and sent us happily on our way up the freshly vacuumed walkway. Much hoo-ha was well deserved.