An unforgettable night at Barbecoa St Paul’s

Happy Saturday everyone! I think it’s fair to say that this blog had bought me so many amazing opportunities. I’ve had the chance to work with some huge brands in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle sector. But one of the best experiences I’ve had so far, was last Saturday. Now those that know me, know I love my food. I’m not a big fan of fancy food with ingredients I can’t pronounce. But I am a big fan of simple food done well. And that’s what I got to experience last Saturday at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Barbecoa.

Now for those of you who haven’t heard of Barbecoa before, it’s a Steakhouse and BBQ restaurant owned and created by Jamie Oliver. And there are currently two of them – one in St Paul’s and one in London’s Piccadilly. Now I’ve been wanting to visit either of these for a while now. And oddly enough about a week before I got the invitation. I was walking past the Piccadilly one with my future sister-in-law, when she said we should go there sometime. I haven’t made it to the Piccadilly one yet, but I did get a chance to try the St Paul’s one last Saturday. And I have to say it was worth the wait.

The St Paul’s restaurant is part of One New Change and as it’s on the second floor, it has the most amazing views over St Paul’s Cathedral. And we were definitely spoilt with probably one of the best tables in the restaurant. Although with wall to wall windows, it’s hard to not have a great view of St Paul’s. Views aside, the food was just as impressive. As there were three of us, we decided to order four different starters and nibbles to share. We went for the clay-oven bread, short ribs croquettes, sticky creole ribs and the chicken wings. And oh my, all four were amazing! The wings had just the right amount of kick, while the ribs were incredibly tender. The croquettes were something I’d never tried before but were delicious, and the clay-oven bread was a lovely light and airy bread to enjoy.

Moving onto mains, we all went for something different. With it being a steakhouse, I couldn’t not have a steak. I went for the fillet, which came with bone marrow, smoked béarnaise and a herb salad. With a side order of beef-dripping chips. Emily went for the smoked and grilled chicken in a Mexican rub with green chilli mayo and lime. With a side of the mash, burnt ends and gravy. While my brother Adam went for the pit beef. Now we weren’t sure what this is. But our server explained that it’s the meat off the smallest rib of the cow, slow cooked and smoked for a whopping 16 hours. And I have to say it was delicious. It was also huge though. And one of those meals that is so good you don’t want to finish it.

Now you might be thinking, that after all that amazing food how could we have managed pudding? Well while we were full, it would have been rude not to have experienced at least one of their desserts right? So I went for the Milky Way and Malt Macaroon Sundae, which was out of this world. While Adam and Emily shared three scoops of ice cream – two Madagascan vanilla and one Tuscan chocolate. Both of which were the perfect way to end the meal.

Having been to quite a few nice steak restaurants around London over the past few years, I have to say Barbecoa is my new favourite. I love the view, the ambience, the staff and the food was absolutely amazing. I honestly couldn’t fault them. The menu is the kind of food I love and I came away feeling thoroughly satisfied that I’d had one of the best meals in London. I’m already planning a visit to the Piccadilly location if anyone wants to join me?

Have you been to Barbecoa before? Is this the type of restaurant you’d choose to visit? What’s your favourite restaurant?