99% of the time, casual dining rules supreme in London. After all, so many restaurants in London now serve top-quality food in relaxed atmospheres and buzzy, casual spots. But sometimes you need glamour. Sometimes, you need a bit of pizzazz (and jazz). Indeed, sometimes you need mirrored Art Deco decor, lashings of caviar, opulent Franco-British cuisine, and ‘Press for Champagne’ buttons. And for those meals, there’s only one place in London to go: the infamous Bob Bob Ricard.
Across two destinations, Bob Bob Ricard brings a similarly luxurious experience to both Soho and City. Both sport the restaurant’s signature blue and gold accents but draw from disparate inspirations. Regardless of which site you visit, though, you’re in for a truly stunning aesthetic experience. (There’s a reason we consistently rank them in our lists of London’s prettiest restaurants and most romantic restaurants!)
The Soho restaurant evokes the Orient Express and the Golden Age of rail travel. As well as considered decor, the restaurant features only booth seating – making for a sense of privacy at each table and bringing to mind a truly sumptuous train carriage. And, of course, there are the ‘Press for Champagne’ buttons at each table. According to Bob Bob Ricard, themsleves, their Soho restaurant “is famous for pouring more champagne than any other restaurant in Britain.”
Meanwhile, Bob Bob Ricard City takes inspiration from “the Royal Yacht Britannia and
the modern day super yachts”. Like the Soho site, all of the tables are booths and are equipped with the infamous champagne buttons. It does, however, have a more contemporary feeling of luxury to it, as opposed to Soho’s throwback glamour. It also boasts some enormous bottles of fizzy; some of the champagne is poured from methuselahs, which are 8 times the size of a standard champagne bottle!
An evening at Bob Bob Ricard
So you’ve gotten all dressed up and popped on your finest garms (activewear and sportswear are not permitted at either location). What’s in store for you at Bob Bob Ricard?
The food is classic luxury, merging the worlds of French and British cooking and offering plenty of chances to splurge. Bob Bob Ricard describes their food as “comfort food fit for a special occasion”.
If you’re going all out, kick things off with some caviar and some oysters (why not try the oyster tasting trio?) before tucking into the likes of Chicken Kyiv, Beef Wellington, Truffle & Champagne Humble Pie, and more.
And naturally, you’ll be having champagne, right? If you fancy something a little different, they also offer plenty of fine wines and classic cocktails. You can also sip on vodka which has been chilled all the way down to -18 degrees. But can you really resist pressing that tempting ‘Press for Champagne’ button?
An evening of luxury and opulence needs some complementary entertainment, too, right? Fortunately, Bob Bob Ricard Soho has you sorted with their fortnightly Jazz Nights. In the venue’s intimate Red Room, the acclaimed Harry Brunt Trio is “bringing soulful jazz to one of London’s most iconic dining destinations.” Every other Tuesday, the trio, which has performed at the likes of the Royal Albert Hall, Vortex Jazz Club, and PizzaExpress Jazz Club, will delight diners with a sophisticated soundtrack.
Bébé Bob
There is also the (slightly) more casual Bébé Bob, which was “born out of love for chicken, caviar, cocktails & champagne.” The comparatively restrained spot serves a menu that focuses largely on, you guessed it, chicken – ranging from chicken schnitzel to roasted Norman chicken and a chicken-y Sunday Roast. Oh, and plentyyyy of caviar, too.
Find out more about Bob Bob Ricard and Bébé Bob here.