As promised, a post about my evening at Barbecoa, One New
Change, London.
With weeks to go before my sister came to stay with me for
her birthday weekend, I started scouting for restaurants to take her as a
birthday treat. I made reservations at various
restaurants in the City and thought I’d pick between them closer to the time
(is that greedy?! Possibly, but I wanted
to make sure we had a table at a great place!).
Having walked passed the Barbecoa butchery every morning and
night going to and from work for months, I decided to take a closer look. After all, the aging meat hanging in the
butchery looked and smelled amazing…if you love meat!
I popped into the restaurant and checked the menu. Neither of us being vegetarians, I thought my sister will love this! I booked the restaurant weeks in advance and
requested a window seat, as I had heard the view of St Paul’s Cathedral was
worth looking at. I spoke to numerous
friends about the restaurant. Some had
been and were very positive about the experience and others (perhaps because it
is still relatively new) were in the I’ve
been meaning to go there bracket.
For those of you who have been meaning to go or for those
looking for a special treat in the City, I’d say DO IT!!
After a day of fun, eating, drinking, shopping and visiting
M&M World, we got dressed for 7.45pm and went for an aperitif in Searcy’s
Champagne bar.
There are many great things about the location of Barbecoa,
not just the fantastic view. It cost
less than £10 in a taxi from my flat and there are two champagne bars in the complex
for pre- and post-dinner drinks, to save you a walk in the cold of Winter.
Searcy’s was a real treat.
The staff were wonderful, not giving us the usual blurb about what we
should smell in the champagne or taste on our palates, instead telling us
interesting stories about the champagne families.
My sister’s potion of choice was a Buck’s Fizz cocktail,
whilst I went for a glass of the non-vintage Besserat Cuvee des Moines. Both made us smile…
With a wet appetite we took the short walk to Barbecoa. The front of house staff were great and the
operation was smooth from walking in the door to paying the bill…full stars!
We were given seats in the window and were in awe of the
spectacular view of St Paul’s Cathedral…my sister going so far as to snap it on
her iPhone (not embarrassing at all!).
The atmosphere
was vibrant, everyone seemingly enjoying themselves. The menu was how I like it, not overly
stretched but offering enough of a variety.
My sister had Texas smoked baby rack ribs with chilli and coriander to
start. I had crispy veal sweetbreads
with celeriac puree, frisee and root beer glaze. The ribs looked fantastic and my sister tells
me they were fantastic. Having ordered
the Texas pit-smoked beef as a main course, I decided not to taste the ribs and
ruin my main (also, if you follow my blogs, you’ll know…Joey doesn’t share
food!!! ;-)).
The veal
sweetbreads were fantastic. Small tender
slices of veal with the sweetest accompaniments I have possibly ever tasted on
a starter. As a lady with a sweet tooth,
the dish was perfect for me, although I don’t think you particularly need a
sweet tooth to enjoy.
And then for
the main dishes…
My texas
pit-smoked beef was truly, utterly, fantabulous! I don’t often eat a lot of red meat and
consider it quite a treat…trust me, this red meat would be worth waiting
for! The two rounds of beef feel apart
at the touch of my fork and melted in my mouth.
I wouldn’t like to hazard a guess at what was in the sensational
barbeque-esk sauce but if Mr. Oliver or Mr. Lang ever feel so inclined to share
their secrets, I’d be an eager listener!
I have to admit, though, I’m not sure many could make the sauce the
same, even following a recipe! This has
to be a Nanna-passed-down number...a total winner!
My sister had wood
oven grilled and brined chicken with blackened sweetcorn salsa, guacamole and
crispy tortilla.
I must confess,
on reading the description of the dish on the menu, I thought she had selected
something quite standard. Chicken with
guacamole and tortilla…you can get that at a local fast-food Mexican, can’t
you?
Weeeell,
actually, you can’t! There was a certain
finesse and twist to the dish which made it far from ordinary. The flavours were strong and
scrumptious. The tortillas were made
into small crisp twists and the chicken cooked to perfection. When I do go back to Barbecoa, I probably won’t
get the chicken but that is only because the pit-smoked beef was JUST TOOOOO
GOOD!
I did a quick
survey of the room and must say that all of the dishes looked wonderful and I
did not see or hear one complaint. From
sight alone, I’d say the rib-eye for two would be worth a try.
My sister and I
teamed our mains with a shared helping of garlic mash. Half of it is still left in the bowl…it was
delicious but the portions in Barbecoa are not for the feint hearted and
unfortunately we were just too into the meat to squeeze in the potato. This is something I do admire in Jamie Oliver’s
cooking!
Sadly, nor
could we fit in dessert (annoying really, as I’d asked the staff to prepare a
birthday plate for my sister, which they were more than willing to do as an
extra little touch – if only my sister had a second stomach!) but we were not
rushed into deciding whether we could or couldn’t. We asked for ten minutes after our mains (to
think and will our digestion to begin!) and we were given that and more if we
wanted it. In the end we went for an
after dinner drink instead, my sister having an Amaretto Coffee (also my favourite
liqueur coffee – must be a sister thing!) and I had a glass of Grange Neuve
Monbazillac 2007 (told you I have a sweet tooth).
After a long day
of eating and drinking, we were slightly merry when we left the restaurant but
I can honestly and soberly say…do go to Barbecoa! AND if you try something different, let me
know for next time!
Word to the
wise, don’t go if you’re vegetarian, pescetarian or vegan. Whilst I’m sure the staff would accommodate you,
Barbecoa does what it says on the tin, so to speak.
The tipple
Having already
decided to go for the Texas smoked beef (I won’t lie, I made my decision on the
day I made a reservation), I selected a bottle of Syrah from the Languedoc region
in France, which was a perfect accompaniment!
Cheers!
Have you tried Barbecoa?
ReplyDelete