Garufin

I came here last night (Monday) with friends. I was a bit surprised when we arrived to see how tiny it was but do not be fooled by it’s tiny bar; the restaurant is downstairs. The dining room is nicely laid out, columns have coat hooks on them and ponchos in case you’re cold.
The waitress was friendly and attentive. She gave us the winelist and told us that bottles are 50% off on Mondays (win). I could have been tempted by the small small plates but all my friends were in the mood for steak so I went with the crowd. I ordered Cuadril & Caracu (rump steak with bone marrow and charred aubergine). My friends had rib eye and flank steaks. My steak was cooked perfectly as medium-​rare but not as tender as I’d expected. I can’t say I have many reference points for bone marrow but I liked that it was served in the bone and I enjoy the taste. I didn’t like the aubergine, but can imagine it would appeal to others. It reminded me of Islay Isle whisky because it was so smoky. All friends enjoyed their steaks but the flank came very rare despite orders for medium-​rare in case that’s an issue for you.
The dessert wasn’t really to my taste. I ordered bread & butter pudding with popcorn icecream expecting something like the British classic, but instead got a slice of something brown and jelly-​like. There were no layers or different texture and the icecream didn’t taste of popcorn. The chocolate cake with banana icecream was far more popular.
I would go back, the food is good, the wine is good, and the prices are reasonable.

Company event was held on the first floor here and it was quite a nice experience. Lots and lots of wines available for this event. Stuck with the malbec wine. Solid.
Food was an assortment of the small plates which included fries, pies and burgers. None being very memorable, but overall good. Wish I would be able to order for myself, but didn’t get the opportunity due to the event. Not to the fault of the establishment themselves, but just situational circumstances.
If I get the opportunity, I’ll come back again and order properly.

Came here for my other halfs birthday. Its kind of a hidden gem, In a celler with rather basic surroundings. Got an indescribably tasty steak with a lovely bottle of wine. Staff were friendly too
The only downside is uncomfy chairs… such a small price to pay! !

Some of the best tapas I’ve ever had and delicious sangria! Def recommend the ceviche, steak w peppercorn sauce and the croquettes. Service was warm and felt like eating at a family friend’s house.

I’m sorry to say that I was underwhelmed by my experience at Garufin. I was expecting the place to be packed, but there was only one other couple there when I turned up at 7pm to meet my wife. I was looking forward to having half a dozen tasty dishes to share, but they were just ok. Nothing bad, mind you, but we felt that we could cook similar or better at home.
The highlight was an excellent carafe of Petit Verdot, which I savoured. This was the first wine I have tried from Argentina. I will have a look for this variety of wine to have at home.
The most unusual thing was the quinoa & coco dessert. It was more salty than sweet, which we hadn’t expected.
The bill was just under £80 for 7 dishes (including the dessert) and the carafe (500ml) of wine. It felt expensive for what we had.

Absolutely splendid! Didnd’t think we’d get a table after Jay Rayner reviewed this place (glowingly) in the Observer, but 5 days before we booked a primetime table on a Friday evening. I’m very glad we did.
We had a fantastic bottle of malbec (the wine list is malbec, malbec, malbec… and for good reason — the best thing with argentinian steak is argentinian black wine). Then we had two excellent empanadas — the same thing, but both totally different, one oozing with cheese, the other bursting with spices.
And before the steak, we thought we’d indulge in a few ‘little plates’ — they almost filled us up, but honestly if the steak weren’t totally amazing, I’d have gone back anyway just for these: the little pork and chorizo stew, roasted octopus. The stew was the best I’d ever had — we would have licked the bowl clean.
The steak themselves were great. 180g is plenty of ribeye for me when covered in black pudding crumbles and with a roasted pepper sauce. My friend had 250g of ribeye and I’lll be honest — next time I’ll go for the unadulterated steak experience. The char on it is just amazing… the little vinegar herb dipping sauce just made it ping. Just one tiny criticism is that, having been prewarned by Jay’s article, I ordered medium rare to get it rare… perfect. My boyfriend took the same approach with medium and it came medium/​well done which was a tiny disappointment.
Still, seriously tasty. Informal atmosphere, good wine, friendly service, and you’re sat in a little basement in central London thinking you’ve discovered your own little steak heaven.