My first reaction when I heard of this place was: who on Earth chose this name? And what can it be like? It got my imagination running but I still couldn’t picture how you could combine a beach, a blanket and Babylon in a bar and restaurant.

Seen from the road, BBB looks like a trendy pub, albeit with a twist: the imposing double doors definitely have a Middle Eastern feel to them. The small bar area is like an English pub with oriental tables and chairs, a fireplace and candles galore that are a bit of a fire hazard when the place gets over-crowded. Once you’ve taken all this in, you need a drink and fight your way to the bar. It is quite obvious that they have many more cocktail options than beer options so you decide to go for the former, pay for a Cuba Libre and a White Russian with a £20 note and get a total change of £3. Not the cheapest place in town then.

Time for food so you move to the restaurant area. The owners have probably visited Barcelona as the narrow entrance to the restaurant looks like parts of the Sagrada Familia or Park Güel. This leads you into a circular area with wooden stairs and chains that looks like a medieval dungeon. You definitely can’t fault the decor, it is quite impressive. The food is actually very nice with prices only slightly less ludicrous than the bar. Then again, if you really are on a spending spree, you are welcome to order the priciest bottle on the wine list, a bargain at £1200 (no I didn’t accidentally add a digit, there are 4 of them and it’s in Pound Sterling). The second cheapest bottle at £22.50 is very nice as well.

A very interesting place, definitely worth going to. You may have to eat baked beans on toast for the rest of the month though.