The showy-offy spaghettone al tartufo is made up of metre long strands of pasta
Barbarella takes its name from the high-camp sci-fi flick of 1968, a film known more for the appearance of a pert Jane Fonda in silver bodysuit than anything resembling a cohesive plot. It's fitting, as this Barbarella isn't really about the food, but the sheer spectacle. Every detail is made for your phone camera; from the gleaming leopard-print tables (somehow… lit from within?) and mega palm trees, to the zebra skins on the wall (ethics be damned!) and a giant glass chandelier (imported from Venice, of course) dangling imposingly over the central bar.
Food is of the non-specific Italian variety, and there's plenty of it. The massive menu comprises lots of pizza, loads of pasta, and various permutations of meat and cheese. Some dishes are named as they would be in Italy, the 'paccheri alla norma' pasta for example, or 'tagliata di manzo' beef fillet. Others have punny names that sound like someone's dad has snuck into the development meeting; the 'Looking For Truffle' pizza or 'Sundae Mood' ice cream. There's also a pizza named after Versace, for some reason. Barbarella is not about authenticity, it's about having fun, and still isn't sure if it wants to banter you relentlessly, or woo you at dusk in the Piazza San Marco.
Our starter of smoky stracciatella is as good as a bowl of creamy burrata-innards can be, served with slender focaccia Romana for dipping and dredging purposes. As with most Big Mamma joints, there's a stunt pasta on the menu. Barbarella's is a showy-offy spaghettone al tartufo, which is £24 a head and made up of metre long strands of pasta - like tapeworm, but sexy. Served tableside to show off the epic length, it might be a little too al dente for this larger, XXL super-toothsome version of spaghetti, but the sauce is good; flecked with fresh black truffle and honking with fluffy Parmigiano Reggiano foam. We follow it with a salty saltimbocca alla Romana, pan-fried veal escalopes topped with prosciutto toscano and sage, that's as rich as the city boy clientele that surround us.
At Barbarella, the food isn't quite an afterthought – some of it is very good, some of it kind of ok, and some of it best not mentioned – but you're not here for world-class pasta, you're here to be entertained, and Barbarella certainly does that.
The vibe A classic of the Big Mamma genre; an ultra-camp 1970s playboy pad.
The food Italian of all persuasions, including pasta and Napolitana-style pizza.
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