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Get a chomp of CAU, the restaurant chain bringing steak back to the high street

By Sadie Whitelocks
Updated: 14:40 EST, 31 August 2011

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They say trends come back around and it seems that steak is back.

Not that it ever away, but the high street has been awash with pizza and pasta over recent years that the cow has been somewhat neglected.

Not anymore. CAU is the latest dining concept from the people behind the high-end steak joint Gaucho, but this time they are serving up prime cuts of Argentinian meat at purse-friendly prices.

High street diner: CAU, a new Argentinian steak restaurant has now opened in Guildford and is proving popular with locals

Walking into the barn-like venue everything looks sharp. It’s a well-packaged product from the uniforms, to the quirky wallpaper of cut grass and blue skies down to the slip proof rubber flooring. It makes neighbouring restaurants look surprisingly tired.

From the roadside the place looks slick. Floor to ceiling sheets of glass ensure passersby get a generous glimpse of diners enjoying their meaty morsels.

It’s been open a matter of weeks but the first CAU restaurant in Guildford is in demand, and over the first month has been fully-booked.

‘Of course we have our tables for regulars that we keep open but other than that we’re flat out.’ The general manager tells us.

Tender: Yerba-smoked beef, smoked the Argentinian way, in tea with orange, lemon thyme and garlic, £6.95

Like the interiors the menu is fuss-free and easy to absorb. Salads, burgers, sausages, sandwiches and steaks are on offer and vegetarians even get a dedicated section. Prices start at £4.95 for a starter and £7.95 for mains.

The Yerba-smoked beef is an appetizing dish (£6.95) - smoked in a traditional Argentinian way the slices of meat melt in your mouth and the marinade of lemon thyme and garlic is spot on.

Next up, steak is the main component - although the burgers are a tempting option as they saunter by, stacked sky-high on wooden platters.

If you're not a steak connoisseur the waiting staff are more than happy to give you some guidance on what cuts to go for and a suitable tipple to accompany.

They are educated in the product and it's refreshing to sense some enthusiasm about what they preach.

There are traditional cuts to sample - rib-eye, rump and sirloin - as well as five specialty cuts including medallions and the Tira da Ancho - a spiral cut of rib-eye, marinated in a parsley and red pepper sauce, slowly grilled.

Steaks start from £12.50 for 8oz Medallions to £33.95 for an 18oz Tira da Ancho.

Moreish: The chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream, £4.95

Swiftly arriving on sauce free white plates, the steak is left to do the work, with a side salad and thin chips arriving in separate side dishes.

If you can - after copious amounts of meat and helpings of the chunkiest chips in town (£2.95) - have a stab at dessert, or at least the sweet dessert wine.

Oozing with warm molten chocolate the fondant with vanilla ice cream (£4.95) is distinctly moreish and the sweet dessert wines Susana Balbo Virtuoso Late harvest Malbec Argentina 2008 or the Susana Balbo Late harvest Torrontes Argentina 2009 (both £4.50) wash down nicely.

As the evening progresses the place has a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere, the lights are dimmed, the music is in full swing as is the conversation. It's an enjoyable place to be and although the tables are closely packed you don't feel encroached by fellow diners.

Talking to, Charlie McLean - the man behind the concept - he is more than passionate about his product: ‘If you look at the high street today there are dozens of places for pizza and pasta but nothing that offers good steak.

'We’ve spent time developing an extensive menu that matches price points seen at other restaurants.’

For a high street diner CAU is a distinctly fresh concept. Keep your eyes peeled for one near you. I am told openings in Cheltenham and Bath are on the cards.

www.caurestaurants.com