The recently opened Italian restaurant overlooking Eden Dock goes big on interior design and pottery pooches but underperforms with its mains
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At a glance, Barbarella is a lot of fun.
Big Mamma Group, the company behind the chain that recently opened its latest branch in Canary Wharf, knows the power of design.
Its venues across Europe all have different names and aesthetics and, while there’s variance in the menus, there’s also overlap.
It’s smart. Rather than rely on a brand like The Ivy, Strada or Prezzo – good examples, perhaps, of where chains have created the perception of quality watered down as they’ve rolled out – the mission here is to bedazzle with baubles.
Big Mamma, presumably, sits in her parlour; a shadowy figure below stairs counting the pennies.
Walk into the Canary Wharf restaurant, festooned with plants and pots outside and you’ll be greeted by a visual onslaught.
There are glossy pottery dogs, a swirly carpet that may have been deliberately mis-fitted to confuse the eye, warmly glowing chandeliers and upstairs, where we’re shown to a table, a mirrored ceiling and vintage shots of models flashing their buttocks for Italian fashion brand Fiorucci.
There’s a lot of PVC on show, complete with outfits framed to accentuate the high-legged thong-backs of the garments.
Oddly, the mildly risqué is offset by an interior filled with soft furnishings that wouldn’t look out of place in a fine dining room.
There’s linen on some tables and thick heavy curtains to deaden the acoustic, softening every sound.
Further offsetting comes with the decision to have chefs in the open kitchen wear red baseball caps – a jarring dash of MAGA against the more refined performance from the front of house staff.
the start of the show
We haven’t booked and the gatekeeper on the door puts in a decent dramatic performance of straining to fit us in – “but just so you know, we need the table back in 90 minutes”.
Nothing says relaxed Italian dining like a ticking clock.
We’re led upstairs to the luxe hall of mirrors, which is completely empty.
It’s no real surprise. It’s 5pm and the place does fill up as time ticks on.
Initially, things start well. The service is pleasant and relaxed, although the demi-armchairs we sit in are challenging to shuffle closer or further away from the table without awkwardly grabbing them from below and bracing with all one’s might.
Our starters arrive – Crocchette Di Vitello Tonnato, little deep-fried balls of pulled veal with capers (£15) and Smoky Stracciatella, the creamy heart of burrata served in a bowl with a leaf of basil and herby oil (£9).
Both are surprisingly generous but decent on the tongue.
The five bites of veal feel substantial and the fact one has fallen over and lost its caper, does nothing to lessen the rich, meaty flavour.
The cheese is equally decadent, a lake of gooey loveliness with a dominant hit of smoke in the mouth. A good start.
a pizza as dry as a desert
However, things go downhill with the mains. Initially, my Raviolone Bicolore – green and yellow pasta filled with ricotta and spinach in a provola sauce and topped with sage and hazelnuts (£21) – is solid enough.
There’s a creaminess to it with a hint of lemon and plenty of crunch from the fried herbs and nuts.
But as things roll on, the dish sags – the fillings, a tad watery, become less interesting.
This challenge is nothing, however, compared to the task my companion is faced with.
Her Carpaccio Diem “pizza” (£22) comes as a toasted, crispy base topped with a load of beef carpaccio, fresh black truffle, rocket and shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Despite a few dollops of truffle aioli, the slice she shared with me was arid – essentially an undressed salad on a dry flatbread – the only moisture on offer coming from the thinly sliced meat.
My companion, whose family hail from Naples, was frankly appalled.
Despite the obvious quality of the ingredients Thursday’s child on Barbarella’s Weekly Pizza menu was indeed full of woe, even if the box we were given to take it home in did have Pavarotti on it with a claim to be specialists in twerking.
Not the kind to waste decent carpaccio, we scraped off the topping and turned it into a salad the following day, complete with dressing.
Barbarella, all-in-all
Which brings me to the final verdict.
Barbarella is unquestionably fun and for £62.88 per head including wine and tip, it sits its guests in the kind of luxury they might expect when paying twice that.
It feels special and was definitely drawing the date night crowd when we visited.
It has good views over the verdant Eden Dock and there’s enough silliness to charm, even if it does feel a little forced.
But buyer beware. While there’s decent cooking on offer here pick your dishes carefully.
The one thing an Italian chain can’t get away with is poor food and there’s room for improvement if that pizza is any indication of overall quality.
★★★✩✩
key details: Barbarella
Barbarella is located on Mackenzie Walk overlooking Eden Dock in Canary Wharf on the lower ground floor of the YY London building (easily identifiable by the Revolut sign at the top of it).
The restaurant is open daily from noon-10pm.
Find out more about the restaurant here
Read more: How Canary Wharf has enjoyed its strongest year for office leasing in a decade
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