On my recent trip to London we were wandering around Piccadilly and suddenly found ourselves in front of one of the newest Jamie Oliver restaurants; Barbecoa. This restaurant is all about fire and meat, being a Steakhouse and BBQ restaurant celebrating ovens and grills from all over the world such as the tandoor and the wood-fired oven.
A somewhat curious choice in restaurants for me since I’m not a meat eater. However I was pleasantly surprised by the choice in fish and even vegetarian dishes still using flames in the cooking process.
The restaurant is quite enormous, covering a ground floor and basement and it feels grand because of the large ceiling lights and intimate seating.
There is plenty of staff in attendance, from the moment you walk in! We were seated in the basement which houses a raw sea food bar and an open kitchen giving a great view of the chefs working hard. Our Italian waiter was very keen to answer questions and help us with our food choice.
And then the food! My husband had the Rib Eye with Garlic leaves and smoked bearnaise which – in his words – was perfect.
I had the Goat’s Curd: Coal-roasted beetroot with a soft goat’s cheese, orange, honeyed almonds and Cornish leaves. And since I love everything potato I had the pomme dauphinoise as a side dish. YUM!
Great flavours, great presentation, subtle smoke aroma!
Prices were not bad paying 8 Pounds for the Goat’s Curd and 40 Pounds for the large Rib Eye.
This impromtu lunch felt as an unexpected present. I’ll be sure to return to Barbecoa next time I’m in London!
