Food for Thoughts: Barbecoa in the City

It was perhaps three mouthfuls into the first crispy pig cheek before the scales fell from my eyes. The setting for this Damascene moment was appropriate. Barbecoa, Jamie Oliver’s temple to grilling, offers diners a pleasing view of the east facing Apse of St Paul’s cathedral. But the revelation being experienced was far from divine. My starter was at best lukewarm and damply cloying rather than crisp.