They say they're a
'deluxe diner', unimaginative reviewers say
'it's so good they named it twice', and savvy guests say
'is it a restaurant or is it art?'. In a world where the enjoyment of everything is subjective, the
Bob Bob Ricard dining experience seems to be subject to a more varied response than most restaurants get. Generally speaking we're all looking for a good feed, and possibly something that we wouldn't make ourselves at home, and Bob Bob Ricard offers this, just in a setting that might make some people lose their appetite.
Afternoon tea at BBR
The pros:
- Everyone sits in a booth, and each one has a little button on the wall which reads 'More Champagne'.
- The food – the
menu is mostly what you'd call 'Modern British', but there's a Soviet slant: Chicken Kiev with sweetcorn and potato mash, Meat Pelmeni and truffled potato and mushroom Vareniki. As you'd expect, the menu changes with the seasons and everything is carefully sourced.
- The drinks: there's a much larger collection of Vodka than you find in most restaurants and their mixologists certainly know how to come up with good cocktail recipes. There's a bar downstairs if it's that sort of an evening.
- The design: it's got all the OTT luxury of the 1930s, in all the colours of the 1980s, including swans flying across the roof, faux family portraits gazing down from the walls and bright, ostentatious uniforms for the staff in salmon pink and turquoise. The design comes from the golden era of travel – very Edwardian train carriage.
The could-be cons:
- The name: it's unclear who Bob and Bob are, and Ricard might be a bit too French considering there's much more vodka on the menu than Ricard.
- There are a lotta mirrors around. Including a ceiling full, so mind your table manners.
- The burgers: they're,
as the terribly polite and English would say, very ordinary.
- The design: it's got all the OTT luxury of the 1930s, in all the colours of the 1980s, including swans flying across the roof, faux family portraits gaze down from the walls and bright, ostentatious uniforms for the staff in salmon pink and turquoise. The design comes from the golden era of travel – very
'Murder on the Orient Express'.
Last word:
BBR is one of a kind, and certainly worth visiting for an occasion. If you love it you'll love it and if it's too much for you you won't, but you won't know until you try.
