Bob Bob Ricard Review

I had heard so much about Bob Bob Ricard and that famous “press for champagne” button. Does it make me sound pathetic if that was the main draw for this restaurant? If so, I don’t give a shit, judge away!

Dress code “elegant”, however vague that was, it meant I could dress up to the nines as I usually would (for a restaurant of this calibre) and my husband could wear jeans, and smart shirt and blazer. I was temporarily worried that I would have to wear a ball gown and my husband a top hat, but the above sufficed. Damn, my Cinderella ball gown and pumpkin carriage will have to wait another year ;)

We booked a table on a Sunday night and it was very quiet and relaxed, which is the way I prefer it. Due to the interior of the restaurant, it means you are pretty much guaranteed a booth seating which is how it should be. I hate restaurants with a view, where you’re paying the same amount for a meal (if not more), but you’re not always guaranteed a window seat which is wrong. This resturant’s seating layout means everyone gets a nice area guaranteed.

The decor was Art Deco in style and reminiscent of the Great Gatsby era; I was half expecting Leonardo Dicaprio to serve me drinks. Staff were attentive from entry and our main waiter José was particularly brilliant. He was professional, attentive but never overbearing - the perfect balance. For starters, we ordered Jersey Rock Oysters 6 for £29 and the Salmon Tartare Imperial £26.50. The oysters were fresh and served with bread, margarine, lemon, with a Bloody Mary Relish and Tabasco. The Salmon Tartare Imperial was garnished with salmon roe, cucumber, fennel and 10g of caviar. It was honestly the best salmon tartare I’ve ever had and caviar is always delicious and slightly bouj.

For mains, we ordered the Slow Roasted Pork Belly £27.50, Chateaubriand For One £42.50 and two sides of Truffled French Fries and Truffled Mashed Potatoes (both £9.95). The Chateaubriand was cooked to medium perfection as requested. Truffled anything makes me belly dance like Shakira, and neither disappointed. The pork belly was the only dish where I’ve had better and felt slightly underwhelmed.

Last but not least, for dessert we ordered the Flaming Crème Brûlée £13.50 and BBR Signature Chocolate Glory £15.50. The flaming crème brûlée was literally on fire. In my intoxicated mind, I tried to “pat it out” with my spoon and ended up setting my spoon on fire. As per Deborah’s usual calm standards, I simply put it down on my plate and all was well again in the BBR world. The crème brûlée was as crème brûlée should be and though nothing exciting (except for the flames), was not disappointing. The BBR however was a little “meh”. Though it was chocolately, I didn’t think it was anything special for it to be BBR’s signature dessert dish. When the waiter poured the chocolate sauce over the chocolate dome, it took (what felt like) ten years for the dome to melt, and therefore lacked drama. Since it was my husband’s birthday, they gave us a complimentary dessert dish (not sure what it was) but it was ironically the best of the three and came with a sparkler, which lasted long enough for me to take a Boomerang. Standard.

Final Thoughts:

Decor - 10/10: Glitzy but tasteful.

Service - 9/10: Attentive. 10/10 for José who was professional, friendly, and approachable.

Food - 8/10: Some dishes were stand out dishes and some were somewhat lacking but overall, impressive.

The ambience was romantic and relaxing. I thought it would be pretentious but it was wasn’t (maybe because it was a Sunday night). It wasn’t cheap but worth the quality. I’d recommend anyone to go and I’ll certainly go again as the restaurant has found a fan in me. Two starters, two mains, two desserts and 7 drinks (5 whiskies, 1 Japanese plum sake and 1 champagne) totalled to £337. It might sound like a lot but for a special occasion, the quality, service and amount we ate and drank, was completely worth it.

Ps. I might have been the only person in history to press the button and ask for whiskey but it was worth it. I think I need to install one at home!

Until next time Xo