This is going to seem like a rather bold statement, but I am pretty bored of the restaurant options in London. I know there are endless possibilities, but the menus all look more and more similar.
There is only one thing that annoys me more than trends in fashion and it is trends in food. I realise this is how the world works, this is how you keep people interested, but I am so over these weird fads. Gourmet burgers everywhere, burritos a go-go, sushi bars, BBQ shacks, they’ve all had their time to shine and most of the places I go to on a regular basis are great, but I miss the days of simple, lovely food. Unpretentious and unfussy, much like what we get in Parisian brasseries. Enter Bob Bob Ricard, a place I’ve grown to love as a destination for fancy cocktails in Soho, but not somewhere I would have ever considered for food, even less so for lunch. I am not sure why, because I had lunch there the other day and it singlehandedly reconciled me with the London food scene.
Bob Bob Ricard is not news to anyone who’s been in London for a while, it may in fact be familiar to you even if you just visited the capital on a couple occasions. It is one of those iconic places in Soho, located about 5mn walk from Liberty (shopping Heaven) and another 5mn from the Nordic Bakery on Golden Square (cinnamon bun Heaven). It is a decadent little oasis where champagne flows and caviar is served as an amuse-bouche at 12:30 on a rainy Monday. Even the humble Mac’n’Cheese puts on a lamé gown and becomes a true delicacy with some help from Mr. Lobster. Oh yeah, Truffle Mac’n’Cheese, you are going to have to try harder now. If you have a sweet tooth, the dessert menu will have you squealing with delight. It is concise but contains everything you could want. All twists on classic recipes. I recommend their take on the Eton Mess…
Bob Bob Ricard
1 Upper James St.
London W1F 9DF
Reservations: 0203 145 1000
Caviar Mondays should definitely become a thing, when I finally win the lottery. Petrossian bien sûr.
Seabass ceviche with avocado – so good I could have ordered it twice.
The main event was the Lobster mac’n’cheese, of course. Accompanied by colourful side salads
The most festive dessert of all: Eton mess en perle.
You don’t have to ask me twice!
Mademoiselle Robot was a guest of Bob Bob Ricard.
All photos taken with the Olympus Pen EP-L7
