The Barbarella Bar - Review
Treat for the eyes and mouth…
One of the newer restaurants in Calgary that I was excited to try out after a weekend of snowboarding. It was nice to arrive at such an open and inviting Italian restaurant that was dark and depressing. Our group was seated by the kitchen so it was exciting to see some food action while taking in the smells of what we were about to eat. I was excited and hangry.
The first item we ordered was the Ricotta Crostini. It was a small dish. 2 strips of crostini with an elegant spread of ricotta and a dash of chilli honey. It was mild in flavour, and not really exciting. Seeing as our group was 3 people I’m surprised they couldn’t add an extra piece. We also had the Fried Halloumi Cheese that was dressed in caper-anchovy vinaigrette and pickled sweet peppers. I thought all the flavours here went together well. A little salty and sweet with that cheese was such a great taste in my mouth. The last appetizer we then received was the Crispy Artichokes. The rosemary aioli really carried this dish as it was an excellent dip while the artichoke was boring.
Now onto the mains, I was hyped. The smell of my Campanelle was making me salivate so much. Taking a huge bite with the crab, shrimp, yuzu and baby spinach all on one fork was such a chef’s kiss emoji. The yuzu was such a great addition and worked so well with the seafood. This is the dish that Barbarella Bar will be remembered for. It’s top-tier. Our Ravioli dish had pistachio & ricotta, saffron butter, basil and sun-dried tomato. It was such a rich and creamy dish, that was so well thought out. Pistachio & ricotta stuffed into pasta is money. Saffron butter is delicious. The pasta here was amazing.
Our final courses brought us to two desserts. Roasted Banana Fritters and the Lemon Tart. The tart was elevated with the brulee crust, caramelized yogurt, and olive oil on the side. I felt like the olive oil didn’t go well with the tart but it didn’t hurt it either. Brulee was perfect and definitely a dish worth trying. The fritters though were so surprisingly good. These fritters were essentially adult Timbits with the big crunchy hazelnut and this dollop of ricotta gelato. Every bite was tasty af. The fritter was moist and the textures of creamy gelato and crunchy hazelnut make this a must-buy dessert.
Food aside, the design of this restaurant is something great. It’s a place where everything from the colours, and fonts on the menu and bathrooms, to the actual bathrooms, felt cohesive in bringing us an Italian 1950s feel. This restaurant would be perfect on the corner of any Italian beach city. Despite its pricey and some small offerings, Barbarella Bar’s bright and relaxing atmosphere along with its great service makes this a place to check out.
Sal says: Just Try It (3.8/5)
Chloe says: So fricken delicious. I'm officially a Barbarella betchhhhh
