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Restaurant Review: Barbarella
- Jo Aspin
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 23
Big Mamma Group really does know how to serve up a 'big' plate of fun. Carbonara served out of cheese wheels, lemon meringue pie slices bigger than your head, mirrored ceilings just because. Jo Aspin takes a trip to their latest arrival Barbarella to find out if this latest spectacle would live up to its predecessors.
Joining Big Mamma's other offspring which include the kitsch East London dining room Gloria, Fitzrovia’s buzzy Circolo Popolare, the brilliantly named Jacuzzi in West Kensington, and the glam Carlotta in Marylebone, Barbarella has now opened overlooking the quay, by the Juiblee line main exit at Canary Wharf.
Barbarella is modelled on a 1970s glory days of Roman film studios Cinecittà and is named after the 60s sci fi classic staring Jane Fonda. You can find it in the swish new net carbon zero, fully electric YY building facing the water.
We were taken up to our table on the first floor past the 'dog & husbands welcome' doormat, across the marble flooring and beyond the palm trees, swirly carpets and giant China Cheetah ornaments. All the Big Mamma restaurants are created by Studio Kiki, the groups in-house design agency founded by Tigrane Seydoux and Victor Lugger. Man I'd love to have that job! They make it look effortlessly easy throwing together over the top lighting, embellishments and interiors and they've really succeded in creating blingy yet retro feel across the two floored trattoria.
The floor to ceiling windows open up to the Canary Wharf’s South Colonnade dock and if you’d rather stare at yourself than out the window, just look up to the ceiling for a mirror vision dining experience.
Our Italian waiters Giorgio and Danilo were a treat, offering up equal amounts of flirtatious entertainment from start to end.
Choosing from Big Mamma's largest cocktail selection to date, I went straight in for a Sicilian Margarita, which was a refined fusion of Olmeca tequila, fresh cucumber, Nardini Acqua di Cedro liqueur and agave infused green peppercorn, topped with a delicately sliced and chilli doused piece of cucumber. Hello - I think, I've just found my drink of choice for summer 2025.
The menu is split into classic Italian sections antipasti, primi piatti, pizza and secondi, and desserts all curated by Roma-born Head Chef Marco Rastelli.
We shared some fabulous veal croquettes, lovely creamy burrata, a light and a lemony grilled courgette salad with some focaccia to start.
Shout out to the crockery and oil dispensers which are all hand painted, artisan vibes and these days instantly recognisable.
For our mains we went for the show-stopper pasta dish I spied at least four other diners with – the lobster spaghetti which was served with a 1/2 lobster in its shell. To accompany we had the grilled bavette steak, sliced and served with salsa verde as well as an aubergine Ceaser salad to the order, in a bid to up our five a day count.
This was accompanied by a smooth and easy drinker -  Vermentino di Sardegna DOC Olianas 2024. So good, I ordered a second glass.
We were two full for dessert, but this place isn't really about the food anyways. It's about everything else you want from a night out - escapism, a touch of glamour to lift you out of the stresses of the every day, and a bit of a giggle. Just make sure you order a 'Giorgio and Danilo' for that!
Big Mamma has done it again. Make a beeline for Barbarella and you can expect lashings of fun alongside your dinner.
Barbarella
Mackenzie Walk Unit 3 YY, London E14 5HX
 Features Editor, Chatting Food: Jo Aspin
Jo Aspin is a freelance writer specialising in UK restaurants, travel, food and drink. She is also a Director at hospitality PR agency Amy Williams Consultancy, based in London.
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Instagram: @welovechilli