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Dinner at Barbecoa, London

June 13, 2016 by cheriecity

A steakhouse by Jamie Oliver with sleek black and gold interiors and incredible views of St. Pauls is a winning combination for me. In fact, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to dine at Barbecoa and indulge in some heavenly grilled meats.

Located in The City’s One New Change, Barbecoa is all about modern, accessible luxury with design by Tom Dixon and a menu of high-end comfort food. It attracts a smart post-work crowd and is a slick affair with well-choreographed yet friendly service.

Barbecoa achieves its ‘temple of meat’ status with an open kitchen boasting an arsenal of grills and smokers, including robatas, Argentinian grills, wood-fire ovens, Texas pit smokers and a tandoor oven. All to get that delicious smokey taste!

We visited on a particularly hot day, so we cooled down with a refreshing Elderflower Collins (£3) and Seasonal Soda (£3). The cocktail menu is pretty exciting though, with a good range of classic and unique drinks.

To start, I went for the summery and light Burrata with asparagus, peas, broad beans, mint and roasted hazelnuts (£9). The julienne greens and crunchy hazelnuts really enhanced the subtle flavours of the fresh, creamy burrata, making a well-rounded dish.

Steven’s starter of Hush Puppies with Devonshire crab, British chorizo and burnt lemon crème fraîche (£10) was rather more indulgent and intensely flavoured. Both starters were satisfying and just the right size without being overwhelming.

The main course is where it gets really exciting, with tempting low and slow dishes such as pit beef and pulled lamb, wood-roasted whole daily catch and a great selection of steaks.

I went for my favourite cut – Fillet steak with bone marrow, smoked Béarnaise and herb salad (£35/8oz). The chunky and lean fillet steak simply melted in the mouth and was nicely charred and seasoned with plenty of sea salt and with a tender centre.

I’m not a fan of bone marrow and this one topped with garlic breadcrumbs was very oily and unappealing, but I loved the velvety smoked Béarnaise and the punchy fresh tarragon and chervil toast with tangy pink onions.

Steven tried the Sirloin steak with slow-roasted tomatoes and morello olive oil (£34/12oz). The high quality sirloin steak was juicy and succulent with a mature flavour and the tomatoes with fresh basil were an ideal accompaniment.

Choosing our side dishes was difficult, as they all sounded yummy, but a real winner was the light and flavoursome Charred broccoli with miso and almonds (£4). It went perfectly with the proper skin-on Beef-dripping chips with Vopaia vinegar and Cornish salt (£4).

My only criticism of the main dishes is that there is nothing for vegetarians (unless they eat fish), only the burrata starter and side dishes. Perhaps demand isn’t high for dedicated veggie options, but it could be an issue for group dinners.

Somehow we managed to find room for the beautifully-presented dessert tasting plate, featuring every sweet dish on the menu. My favourite was the Snickersphere – a heavenly mix of milk chocolate ganache, smooth caramel, crispy biscuit and crushed peanuts.

Other decadent bites were the glossy and rich Barbecoa brownie, zesty Lemon meringue, Gooseberry goat’s milk cheesecake, Panna cotta with English strawberries, Lemon honeycomb mousse, Chocolate macaron, Bourbon jelly and Strawberry and vodka truffle.

Barbecoa is ideal for a stylish night out in The City with fantastic food, great views and a buzzing atmosphere. If you’re in the mood for a truly sumptuous steak – whether it’s a blow-out Chateaubriand with truffle butter or a more modest butcher’s cut from the well-priced set menu – it’s sure to hit the spot.

For more information and booking, visit: www.barbecoa.com

Chérie City was a guest of Barbecoa

Photos by Chérie City

Afternoon tea, London, Stores

Pierre Hermé Fetish Infiniment Chocolat

October 28, 2014 by cheriecity

Pierre Hermé is renowned for his game-changing marriage of flavours, however at the heart of his mastery is pure, unadulterated chocolate.

The new Fetish Infiniment Chocolat limited edition collection is a celebration of exquisite chocolate made with the finest cocoa from far-flung plantations around the world.

I visited the Lowndes Street boutique last week for a special preview tasting and was treated to highlights from the collection with glasses of rosé Champagne.

Our first taste of the collection were Bonbons Chocolat, each with their own distinctive flavours and notes. The stand-out Bonbon Chocolat Ampa is an intense ganache of pure origin Plantation Millot chocolate from Madagascar with a punchy bitterness and exotic notes of passion fruit and caramelised pineapple.

My favourite is the playfully-named Bonbon Chocolat Choc Chocolat (try asking for that over the counter) – a silky ganache studded with nougatine and cocoa nibs.

Other seductive chocolates in the collection are the Brazilian Bonbon Chocolat Paneiras, the crunchy Nougatine Infiniment Chocolat and the slim and elegant Galet Intense.

There are also new chocolate macarons, including the seductive Venezuelan Macaron Infiniment Chocolat Chuao with a hint of blond tobacco and the Macaron Infiniment Chocolat Pérou, which is well-rounded and easy on the palate.

Another highlight is Pierre Hermé’s latest discovery – the intense Macaron Infiniment Chocolat Paineiras using pure origin chocolate with notes of citrus, red berry and spice.

As a lover of cake, I was wowed by the the fabulously rich, moist, vanilla-scented Cake Infiniment Chocolat with pieces of dark chocolate and fleur de sel, enrobed in glossy dark chocolate.

It would make a fabulous addition to a chocolate afternoon tea, alongside the perfectly buttery, indulgent Sablés Infiniment Chocolat and a cup of thick, rich Chocolat Chaud.

The London boutiques offer an edited selection of the range, but if you’re in Paris, be sure to indulge in an exquisite Infiniment Chocolat Saint-Honoré, rum baba, millefeuille, cheesecake, brioche, éclair or ice cream.

As always, Pierre Hermé likes to keep us on our toes and is constantly innovating, so head down to Lowndes Street to pick up some treats from the collection before 8th December.

Also, look out for a brand new Pierre Hermé boutique opening next month in Covent Garden’s stylish Seven Dials neighbourhood.

For more information and to buy online, visit: www.pierreherme.com

Photos by Pierre Hermé Paris

Afternoon tea, Hotels, Hotels - Design, London

Zandra Rhodes Fashion Afternoon Tea at The Mandeville Hotel

April 16, 2011 by cheriecity

Zandra Rhodes is one of my all-time fashion heroes and meeting her at a Fashion & Textiles Museum private view just a few months into living in London was a dream fulfilled.

One of the most treasured guardians of English Eccentric style, Zandra brings her creative spirit to a very stylish afternoon tea at The Mandeville Hotel.

In an enviable location, just a few steps from Selfridges and Marylebone High Street, the four star deluxe Mandeville Hotel offers delectable afternoon teas served on stunning Royal Doulton china designed by Zandra Rhodes in the deVille restaurant.

Steven and I tried the Fashion Ladies Afternoon Tea and a Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea, although the gender boundaries were somewhat blurred as we swapped a few sandwiches here and there (well, the gentleman does get meat skewers, after all).

We started with a glass of Pommery Champagne and chose our pots of tea from an extensive list – Whole Rose Buds tea and the Mandeville Special Blend (a mix of English Breakfast teas).

When you think of Zandra Rhodes, vivid shades of fuschia, turquoise and purple leap to mind, but her tea set is a surprisingly subtle mix of sugar almond pastel colours with butterfly motifs.

The Fashion Ladies Afternoon Tea comes with a traditional selection of mini sandwiches cut into squares and a raisin scone that comes with clotted cream and two pots of jam.

This was followed by an indulgent selection of patisserie – Zandra’s Pink Meringues, chocolate macaron, chocolate éclair, lemon cupcake, chocolate and walnut ganache cake and a chocolate brownie.

The Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea arguably came with the best savouries – Roasted Sirloin with Red Onion Thyme Jam in Foccacia Bread, Beef and Chicken Satay with Chilli Crème-fraiche, Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable with Tallegio on Black Olive Ciabatta, Crab and Shrimp on Basil Bread and Gentleman’s Relish (anchovy pate) with Toast.

Some of the patisserie was the same as the Fashion Ladies Afternoon Tea but additions included a Blueberry Cheesecake, Coffee macaron and a Fig Chocolate Beignet.

The steak sandwich wedge was absolutely delicious and all of the cakes were exceptionally good. The Fashion Ladies Afternoon Tea is the quintessential afternoon tea, but I would welcome a few of the chicken and beef skewers, as they were so tasty.

The Fashion Afternoon tea at The Mandeville Hotel and perfect for a post-shopping treat, as Selfridges is just around the corner.

There are a handful of chic cafes in the neighbourhood, but few have the relaxing atmosphere of The Mandeville where you can kick back on plush sofas and sip tea to a jazz soundtrack – absolute bliss!

The Fashion Ladies, Gentlemen’s and Chocolate Afternoon Teas are priced at £26.50 (£32.50 with a glass of Pommery Champagne). Afternoon tea is available at deVille from 3pm to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

For more information and booking, visit: www.mandeville.co.uk

Chérie City was a guest of The Mandeville.