Whenever I get asked for restaurant suggestions by out-of-towners, Bob Bob Ricard is a no-brainer. Anywhere with a Champagne button built into the table deserves that privilege. I’ve been before, but the return of its original “Diner Deluxe” concept gave me the perfect excuse to go back. Caviar on a Tuesday? Yes please.
Tucked in the heart of Soho, the restaurant has become something of a London icon since opening in 2008. Designed by the legendary David Collins Studio, the interiors are inspired by the golden age of rail travel. It feels like dining inside a private train carriage where everything is plush, polished and possibly about to take you to the Riviera. The room is entirely booths, which adds a sense of intimacy and occasion. Even the cutlery seems to know it’s part of the show.
I pressed the Champagne button almost immediately. That small piece of brass is part of the experience, and it works. Our waiter appeared with perfect timing and returned with two glasses of crisp rosé and a menu full of temptations.
The food, curated by Group Chef Director Ben Hobson, is luxury comfort cooking at its most confident. We began with the Siberian sturgeon caviar, served with warm blinis, chopped egg, red onion and sour cream. It tasted clean and buttery, and the accompaniments were traditional in the best way. Alongside it came the steak tartare, hand-chopped and generously seasoned, crowned with a soft egg yolk, capers and tangy cornichons.
Then came the smoked salmon, cold smoked and served with buttery rye bread. Simple but perfectly executed. The beef wellington followed. It is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and it showed. The pastry was golden and crisp, the fillet inside perfectly pink, and the mushroom duxelles added a deep, savoury richness. It was served with a glossy red wine sauce and a mound of truffled mashed potato that was sinfully good.
Across the table, the chicken kyiv arrived with a confident sizzle. Cut into it and the garlic butter flowed out, coating the crisp crust and mingling beautifully with the tender meat. It was a dish that felt nostalgic and elegant at the same time. We also ordered the lobster macaroni cheese, thick with a three-cheese sauce and packed with generous pieces of lobster. It was rich, warming and completely worth the next day’s gruelling gym sesh.
For dessert, we tried the flaming crème brûlée, which crackled under the spoon and gave way to smooth, vanilla-scented custard. I finished with an espresso martini from their dedicated martini menu, which was bold, cold and expertly balanced.
The service throughout was smooth and precise. Staff knew when to appear, when to stand back and how to make the entire experience feel effortless.
Bob Bob Ricard is the creation of Leonid Shutov, a Russian-born British restaurateur who moved to London after a successful career in advertising. His love of Champagne, vodka and dramatic interiors is clear in every corner of the space. The restaurant blends British and French indulgence with a theatrical sense of fun that never takes itself too seriously.
You don’t need a special occasion to go. The Champagne button is reason enough. But if you’re in the mood for a little theatre with your tartare, a main course that struts onto the table, and a flaming dessert that earns its round of applause, Bob Bob Ricard delivers every time. I walked out into the Soho night still tasting truffle and sugar, wondering if anyone would notice if I came back tomorrow.
1 Upper James St, London W1F 9DF
