Toro, in Rothwell’s High Street, looks impressive from the outside and once you step in, the South American steakhouse experience begins.
The website says it provides the best steak in Northamptonshire and with the working week behind us, it was time to put this to the test.
We were keen to get stuck in and, luckily for us, the service in Toro is very efficient and we were seated quickly.
After taking our seats in the already busy restaurant on a Friday evening, olives and bread with a garlic butter were served – this came as a surprise and we were not charged for it – and they were a nice distraction while we made our choices.
I had the gambas al parilla (£5.95) to start, chargrilled tiger prawns in chimi-churi sauce. These were three tiger prawns accompanied by a salad garnish and Marie Rose sauce, and while I couldn’t really tell you what chimi-churi sauce was, it tasted good.
Bernie had the ceviche (£5.95), marinated king prawns in a sun-dried tomato and orange sauce. Her starter was huge but fresh and light.
Other starters included French onion soup (£4.95) and pork chorizo (£4.95).
And then on to the real business of the night... steak.
Diners can have rump, sirloin, rib eye, fillet, the Toro special fillet (known as Budapest Fillet) or T-Bone steak, and these can be cooked from blue, rare or medium up to cremated or black and blue. There is also the option of 8oz, 10oz or 14oz steaks.
I had the 8oz rump (£11.95) and Bernie plumped for the 10oz rump (£14.95), both of which we ordered medium. The steaks came with piping hot chunky chips and salad, with sauces £2.50 on top of that.
There were, disappointingly, only two sauces to choose from: pepper or Diana. We asked the waitress if they could do a stilton sauce for us, but sadly she said no.
The pepper sauce was still good and there was a lot of it, although a few more options would be nice. Despite this, the steaks really were tasty and cooked to perfection.
Other dishes which caught my eye were the tequila steak marinated in tequila and citrus juices with cumin and garlic (price depending on choice of steak) or a combination dish, including surf and turf (£18.95).
But if steak is not your thing, there are alternatives, including fajitas with chicken or beef (£14.95) or grilled fillet of sea bass marinated in paprika, oregano and garlic (£14.95). There are also some vegetarian options and burgers.
To finish the night off, we felt we had to look at the desserts and promptly ordered.
I had the Latino mess (£4.95), a mixture of meringue and fruit with cream; similar to Eton Mess but the meringues were whole rather than crushed up, with a wider array of fruits.
It looked colourful and led to a conversation with the couple next to us, who looked over with a hint of jealousy.
Bernie chose the Dime Bar Crunch cake (£4.75), which was exactly what the name suggests and duly enjoyed.
We really enjoyed Toro’s steakhouse experience and I would ‘steak’ a claim on this being a popular restaurant for many years to come.
Toro
22 High Street, Rothwell
01536 711344 info@torosteakhouse.com
VALUE: Reasonable
FOOD: Very good, everything was fresh and piping hot
SERVICE: Very efficient
DISABLED ACCESS: Not obvious, but I’m sure the staff would help
PARKING: Nearby in Rothwell Market Place
COST OF OUR MEAL: £61.15, including a glass of white wine and two glasses of Diet Coke.
Stephanie’s star rating: 8/10
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