It's all about meat - Jamie Oliver and Adam Perry Lang's Barbecoa

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!

 

http://www.barbecoa.com/

 

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!

Looking for good Vietnamese food in the city?

If you’re looking for a good, authentic Vietnamese in the City, look no further than Com Viet.

I have been meaning to try Com Viet (http://www.comviet.co.uk/) for some time.  I walk passed the restaurant at least once per week on my way back from Zumba.  I could have been fooled by my rumbling stomach that the smells were incredible but my experience of the restaurant on Saturday showed me this was not the case!

After a wander along South Bank with a pit-stop at Borough Market, my sister and I developed quite an appetite for lunch.  This despite tasting every cheese, meat and chocolate indulgence in Borough Market at 11am.  Not to mention sipping on Mulled Wine at a rather uncouth time in the morning.

 

I have always looked at old men in grubby pubs with a pint of beer in their hand at 11am on a Saturday morning and tutted at their gluttonous ways.  “I would never do that!”, I have said.  I wouldn’t say I’ve gone so far as to become a grubby old man but it certainly felt a tad wrong to be drinking mulled wine at 11am!

Nevertheless, our flutter with Christmas in a cup and a hearty walk did leave us wanting something substantial for lunch.  With a reservation for Jamie Oliver and Adam Perry Lang’s restaurant, Barbecoa (post to follow!), in the evening, we couldn’t afford to be overly calorific.

With a little shopping to do in Covent Garden, Com Viet was the perfect spot for lunch…”FINALLY!” my stomach yelled!

When we walked into the restaurant there were six or seven café style tables.  We didn’t mind this at all but when we were offered the opportunity to sit downstairs, curiosity sent us marching.

I would recommend sitting downstairs to anyone.  The décor is cosy and you have a view of the kitchen too (which to me tends to mean less grease and fewer cockroaches than the average kitchen – joking!).  Despite making my sister descend the staircase with her blistered feet (I did tell her to wear flat shoes, I’m not a one for the tube!), she was pleased to have taken a seat downstairs too.

The menu is small enough to convince you that there is love and care behind the dishes but large enough to give you a good choice.  The dishes seem to focus on one or two big flavours and, having been to Vietnam, I can say they are true to Vietnamese style.

I ordered a dish of slow-cooked chicken in chilli and lemongrass, which was recommended by our helpful waitress.  My sister ordered stir fried duck with ginger and spring onions.  We shared a bowl of Jasmine rice, which was more than enough for two.

My chicken was absolutely delicious, tender, moist and plenty of it.  It had obviously been marinating in the sauce for long enough to take on the intense flavour of the lemongrass.  The waitress told me the dish was hot (spicy hot, not hot hot), which made me reluctant to go for it, as I am far from a queen of spice.  The heat was pleasant in actual fact, not too overpowering at all.

If I have one reservation about the dish, it is that it can get tiresome and a little samey by the end (in part because there is so much of it, not that I’m complaining) but it would be a great dish to pick as part of a selection to share with others.  If you aren’t out with Joey Tribbiani that is…

 

Photograph taken from fyeahfriendsgifs.tumblr.com.

The recipe - If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the chicken was cooked in chicken stock with a drop of fish sauce, mirin, soy, a couple of tablespoons of sugar and garlic, with the obvious additions of lemongrass and chilli.  If you try to make it yourself be careful not to overpower the dish with lemongrass. 

My tips: Consider adding a bay leaf for an extra dimension and try mixing the side of Jasmine rice with spring onions and soya beans to add a little more texture and variety to the dish.

As for the duck dish, I found the forkful I was allowed before my hand was slapped away, very tasty…I have it on good authority that the duck was “mmm nice!”!

The tipple

For me, selecting a drink in a Vietnamese is a tricky one.  To try and find a drink that goes with the strong flavours of ginger, spring onion, chilli and lemongrass is difficult.  Given it was a birthday celebration and the drink itself is highly inoffensive, sitting relatively easily with almost anything, I decided on two glasses of prosecco.  It wasn’t a great match for the food but it was more than palatable.

But what about dessert?

In order to give you the complete picture, I can tell you I proceeded to drag my sister walking for miles further (cruel I know!).  She did perk up on seeing M&M World and the Rainforest Café (nope, she isn’t five years old either!) but her eyes really brightened when we walked passed a small French patisserie on Shaftesbury Avenue (sorry I have tried to Google and just can’t find the name but it had a rather nice chandelier if that helps).  Needless to say we wandered back to the little French Patisserie and continued our flirt with prosecco over a delightful MilleFuille and Black Forest Gateaux…I also tend to shy away from Vietnamese desserts…perhaps MilleFuilles and Black Forest Gateaux are the reasons why!

Happy visiting!