Gaucho's restaurant in Hampstead hold a Doggy Sunday Brunch the first weekend of every month where you and your dog(s) are able to enjoy a wonderful meal and meet other dogs and their owners.
This February was Valentine themed, so I made Neo a new red tartan Harris tweed collar and lead, I had a matching dog walker's bag and I made David a special red tartan and velvet scarf - very coordinated!
Jorge the manager and his wonderful team greet you and your furry friend, having walked them up the red carpet and into their beautiful restaurant. You are then guided through the restaurant to the outside area to enjoy a glass (or two) of champagne while your dog gets to meet other guests and to play with the toys Gauchos provide. Neo, as usual spotted the balls straight away and tried to get as many in his mouth at once but there were plenty to go around. Ulliportraits were there drawing as many dogs as possible and the talented Penelope Malby taking photos!
A fabulous log fire keeps everyone warm, but safe as it is well off ground level! It was wonderful being able to relax in a lovely restaurant and not worry about your dog annoying other guests, as being a group of dog owners, we were all understanding of dog behaviour and the odd over excited bark!
Then, we were escorted to our table where a beautiful bowl awaited Neo with his name on it - which was then periodically filled with delicious morsels especially for dogs - Neo can be a little ungrateful when it comes to being offered treats and has been known to spit them out, but these were clearly superior treats as not a crumb was left! We had a wonderful meal too, a choice of beautiful cuts of steak and there were vegetarian options too. (Neo had to help me with my steak as it was a very generous portion!)
Every dog got a 'doggy bag' to take home which included a tasty 'pup' cake from Alpha&Rubys, a fragrance for your dog called 'stinker belle' from Butch&Bess (smells lovely!), and vouchers from Prestige Paws, the luxury mobile dog and cat grooming spa service, and a voucher from us too!
It was a fabulous afternoon, and the dogs behaved amazingly - over 60 dogs and no bad behaviour - and the most important part of us being there was that Gauchos donated £5 per dog present to the Mayhew Animal Home in London!
We will definitely be going back, we hope to see some of you there next time!
