Jamie Oliver's new restaurant sells itself on both its meat and the view of St Paul's. It's on the second floor of the unlovely new shopping centre One New Change; a big, low slab of polished black glass aimed at luring consumers as well as speculators to the City. Barbecoa does have lovely, floor-to-ceiling views of Wren's dome (marred by some nondescript 20th century edifices) and the menu is straightforward, hearty and well-sourced enough to satisfy both quick-bite shoppers and City trenchermen. But the antiseptic blandness of the cavernous room, and an almost infantile tendency to make things look simple and taste complicated, makes it a not altogether pleasant experience.
A snack of brittle, thin pork scratchings came with a subtly chocolately mole sauce, rather than the usual clotted crust of seasoning. There's an appealing list of cocktails and wines by the glass. A starter of crispy calamari (£10) with smashed avocado lived up to its billing, while baby back ribs (£9) were a meal in themselves, the nearly foot-long stretch of succulent flesh falling off the bone slathered with a tangy barbecue sauce and accompanied by a tasty but token apple slaw.
Fillet steak (£35) was served rare as requested, and had a fine, almost woody flavour beneath an overly salty exterior. It came with a heady smoked béarnaise sauce, a pungent and overly wet shallot salad and gelatinous marrow, scraped from a split bone. All lovely flavours, but together a little overpowering. Pulled pork shoulder (£16) was also heavily seasoned, with more of the barbecue sauce. Chips were the first ones I've had in years that tasted properly of potato, but spring greens (substituting for cavolo nero) were smothered in lemon. Puddings look appealing - particularly the Vin Santo Rose Cake — but with starters and mains the size they are, we only had space for a coupe of novel, subtle sorbets: bramble ripple, passion fruit and Campari.
There's no doubting the quality of the flavours or the skill of the kitchen but Oliver and chef Adam Perry Lang do tend to overload and overwhelm the palate. And the menu isn't really a million miles away from the sort of burger'n'grill joint you'd book for a 14-year-old's birthday party. The room has been heavily designed without creating any sense of atmosphere and the angling of the asymmetric tables to capture the view also makes them hard for the waiting staff to serve. It's probably fine for corporate expense account lunches where a grand view, a famous chef's name, a hefty slab of meat and a heftier bill are enough. But I'm not sure Barbecoa, or One New Change, offer enough to tempt outsiders.
Barbecoa, 20 New Change Passage, London EC4M 9AG (+44 (0)203 005 8555, barbecoa.com)
