Mayfair is home to an endless procession of restaurants that run the gamut from hype eateries to overpriced spots with underseasoned food and understated venues. Among them is BiBi, a MICHELIN-approved restaurant that has made a name for itself after just a few years of operation. BiBi takes contemporary Indian food to new levels in the city, with an impeccable tasting menu. And they’ve just launched BiBi Lates, a new late-night offering with a special menu of cocktails and food.
As well as being included in the MICHELIN Guide, BiBi recently ranked as the 27th best restaurant in the entire UK. And with BiBi Lates, they’re offering up a new way for London’s diners to experience the food that has made them so popular.
BiBi
BiBi is a stunning restaurant from Chef Chet Sharma, who has done everything from DJing and working with international superstars to studying Clinical and Experimental Medicine and achieving a doctorate. He has also cooked in world-class restaurants in the UK and around the globe, and in 2021 launched his first restaurant wth BiBi.
By day, BiBi serves up lunch and dinner-time tasting menus that focus on traceable, ethically-sourced ingredients and “nostalgic flavours that transport guests through time and India’s megadiverse myriad states.” Specific varietals of rice and spices are sourced from special farms in India. But much of the produce is British, and carefully-selected: “Fish from British waters are dayboat-landed only, cheese comes direct from Somerset, Buffalo milk from Lancashire and hand-dived scallops from Devon”.
It’s a menu that is the result of years of research from Chef Chet Sharma. Thanks to his impressive education, having studied everything from Chemistry to Condensed Matter Physics, he was able to apply his analytical skills to food and recipe creation. This, combined with his work in all manner of kitchens, provided him with the tools to create exceptional dishes.
All of this passion, research, dedication, and sourcing comes with a price, though. A meal at BiBi starts at £65 for the lunch-time tasting menu, and goes up to £145 for the Evening Chefs Selection tasting menu.
BiBi Lates
BiBi Lates is the new post-dinner-service (after 9pm) offering from BiBi, featuring “an extended cocktail list alongside an à la carte selection of curated dishes from the tasting menu”. And following a recent visit, I can enthusiastically recommend it to those seeking impeccable cocktails and some of the city’s best food.
My dining partner and I were blown away from the very beginning. This was thanks to cheery service and our first round of drinks. The Curry Leaf Martini and the Mysore Negroni could not have been more different, but they belied an understanding of the cocktail experience that went far beyond just matching flavours.
Subsequently, we went on a roving tour across of the food. This included the likes of an Oyster topped with Mango Granita (refreshing, fruity, briny), Veal Sweetbreads (intense, spicy, flavoursome bites) and a Nimbu Pani (a South Asian lemonade)-inspired Hamachi dish with strawberries. And it was hit after hit, with both of us being treated to at-times gasp-inducing dishes.
At BiBi Lates, you begin to understand BiBi. It’s clear why the menu commands the price it does, once you’ve sampled the food. Indeed, sitting at the bar watching the chefs working away, the price becomes almost affordable in context.
You might try out BiBi Lates in an attempt to avoid the tasting menu, but you won’t be able to resist returning for the full experience. And then subsequently sidling up to the bar for one more Curry Leaf Martini, or a Mysore Negroni nightcap…
Find out more and book your visit here.
📍 42 North Audley Street, W1K 6ZP.
🚇 The nearest stations are Bond Street and Marble Arch.
