Bob Bob Ricard

European Restaurant in Soho
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7 / 10 from 1 review
Address
1 Upper James Street
Soho
London
W1F 9DE
Map
Telephone
020 3145 1000
Cuisine
European
Region
Soho
Nearest Station
Piccadilly Circus
0.22 miles
Opening Times
Monday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Tuesday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Wednesday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Thursday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Friday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Saturday Open 12:00 - Closes 23:30
Sunday Open 12:00 - Closes 22:30

The restaurant is steep so visit the bar for the (relative) bargain Bob Bob experience.

All In London

Bob Bob Ricard is proud to announce the arrival of its new house Champagne - the legendary Pol Roger. BBR makes a point of favouring smaller, traditionally run suppliers, and Champagne Pol Roger is one of the very few remaining houses still owned and run by the founding family, who remain responsible for the winemaking and selection of the cuvées each year.

Bob Bob Ricard Picture Gallery

Bob Bob Ricard Picture
Bob Bob Ricard Picture
Bob Bob Ricard Picture
Bob Bob Ricard Picture

All In London Review

Champagne at the touch of a button and an internationally eclectic menu

The bizarrely named Bob Bob Ricard (so called after its owners) seems slightly at odds with its Soho location. In fact, this eatery would find itself perfectly at home in the heart of Mayfair, thanks to ritzy décor and prices to match.

The maître d’ greets guests at the entrance before leading them in to the restaurant. Booths and subtle lighting make the room look a little like the inside of the Orient Express, while the tiled flooring reminds one of a train platform.

Waiting staff are dressed in salmon pink jackets and are terribly attentive regardless of how they may feel about their uniform. So considerate is the service in fact, that each booth contains a bell, which when pressed alerts someone to hurry over with a bottle of champagne.

There are plenty of diners populating the booths, most of whom are mature couples or suited businessmen.

The menu is pricey but simple, with a predilection for comfort food such as burgers and chicken Kievs sitting alongside the more elaborate side of Anglo-French cuisine, think rabbit, foie gras and date terrine, Chateaubriand and beef Wellington.

There is also a nod to Russian gastronomy due to the owner’s heritage, which is why you’ll also find meat pelmeni with sour cream (dumpling to you and me), a caviar selection and Russian vodka shots.

The month of August sees the ostentatiously named ‘Let Them Eat Caviar’ menu being served until 5pm daily. For £19.95 one can enjoy 10g of caviar with sour cream and blinis, either a meat or truffle and potato dumpling, and a shot of Russian vodka.

BBR also serves breakfasts, brunches and afternoon tea, but we’re here for dinner. The venison tartare with raw quail’s egg (£8.75) has just a little spice and tastes tangy thanks to the capers which are mixed in with the minced meat. The accompanying curly croutons are more like fluffy crisps – moreish razor-thin slices of crusty bread drizzled in olive oil.

The carpaccio of tuna Niçoise (£10.50) is essentially a Niçoise salad with boiled egg, kidney beans and French beans served atop slices of raw tuna. It’s light and pleasant enough, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The veal Holstein (£21.50) is very much the same as a veal escalop or Schnitzel, a thin piece of meat covered in crispy breadcrumbs. It sits on a pile of truffled mashed potato and a ‘secret sauce’, which appears to have been absorbed by the mash and therefore remains a mystery. A quail’s egg (they seem to like them here), anchovies and sundried tomatoes with capers add saltiness to the dish.

The two fillets of grilled seabass are cooked to perfection with a wonderful lemony flavour, however despite the £19.95 price tag sides have to be ordered separately.

The dessert menu is suitably trad, with trifles, crumbles and even knickerbocker glories. The plate of BBR cakes (£8.50) seems like a suitably indulgent idea, and a dish with mini portions of rum baba, Battenberg, Victoria sponge with cream, a cream horn, and the two best ones, a rich, fudgy piece of chocolate and a raspberry and custard tart arrives.

In terms of drinks, it is possible to spend up to £500 on a bottle of Echezeaux Grand Cru Burgundy from 1996 (which according to the menu is £1,600 at Alain Ducasse); however the more modest bottles are perfectly decent. The Bodegas Navajas Rioja, 2008, is oaky and full-bodied, and a very good wine for £23.50.

BBR’s signature cocktail is a rhubarb gin and tonic (£7.50), a delicious pink concoction with just a hint of rhubarb that adds a little sweetness to the drink.

Champagne at the push of a button, travel-themed décor and an internationally jumbled menu make Bob Bob Ricard a rather eccentric, yet highly enjoyable treat.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Aug 12, 2010


In The News

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The All in One Ultimate Restaurant List Interview: Bob Bob Ricard

Owner Leonid Shutov tells us why eating here is an experience like no other.

Bob Bob Ricard unveils new club room

The Club Room will open for dinner Thursday to Saturday

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If you like the flamboyant extravagance that Soho does best then Bob Bob Ricard is for you. The Champagne afternoon tea is the only way to go and rushing on the bubbles is positively encouraged. What’s more the all-booth dining room features tables equipped with a ‘Champagne Button’ which when pressed summons a new bottle of pop. The over the top art deco interior is incredibly ostentatious, remaining impressive with every visit. The usual finger rolls and cakes cost around £35.00 with Champagne.

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Bob Bob Ricard’s interior is styled like the legendary Orient Express trains, with art deco design evident in the booths, electric blue furnishings and tiled floors. The result is highly chic yet playful, there is after all a “Press for champagne” button in each booth.

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