Bob Bob Ricard

This is the first post in the series Winter in London. Other posts include Bob, Bob, Ricard, Kitchen W8, Fernandez and Wells, The Turf Tavern and Jamie's Italian, and the Trout Inn.

Would you believe it if I told you that I canceled my reservation at a Gordon Ramsey restaurant to come to this Russian/English place?

Crazy? Perhaps, but there was a reason.

I was so very, very exhausted.

I had been commuting to our offices near Oxford each day, getting home close to 8PM each night. I was starving, and really didn't feel like waiting until my 9PM reservation to start my dinner at Gordon Ramsey.

So I canceled it, hoping to find something a bit closer and sooner. Thankfully, my local London food blogger friend Jackie had e-mailed me a list of interesting restaurants to try. After looking at various menus online, I settled upon Bob Bob Ricard, a newish (opened in 2008) Russian/English restaurant in the heart of Soho in London.

Though some may argue that neither Russia nor England is known internationally for its cuisine, I was actually quite pleased with the food. Furthermore, Bob Bob Ricard is really, really interesting in so many other ways, making it a worthy destination in London.


First of all, the decor at  Bob Bob Ricard is really unusual.  Self-proclaimed as the "London's most luxurious all-booth dining room," Bob Bob Ricard (can we just say BBR for short?) is covered in dark wood and ornately decorated with brass, mirrors, and marble. The place feels right out of another century, even though it has only been around since 2008.

I sat alone near the front of the restaurant in my own cushy, booth-type seat. I chuckled at a button in the wall that said, "press for champagne."

Little did I realize (until I looked at the menu), the extent of BBR's focus on wine.  BBR is infamous for declaring a sort of "price war" on wine in London. BBR claims it will not mark up the price of any wine more than £50, regardless of the cost. Boldly, BBR's menu explicitly points out price comparisons with other high-end restaurants in London.

In all cases, they make the other restaurant look really, really bad.

For example, if you look at the menu picture above, you'll see that they sell a half bottle of 1er cru Chateau D'Yquem for £294 while Alain Ducasse sells the same bottle for £890.

Looking back, I wish I had taken more advantage of this opportunity! I did enjoy a nice £15 glass of Chateau D'Yquem (I can't remember what year it was), but I didn't go crazy.

The menu is decidedly Russian, with various classic offerings of vodka shots, caviar, and borsch.  Black truffles were prominently featured on the menu (yay!) and I made sure to order a few truffle-filled dishes. I had a lot of fun sampling several small plates, such as a black truffle cream soup (pictured up top), a delicate roasted tomato galette (pictured above), and a beautiful black truffle topped potato salad (below).

I enjoyed every one of my dishes, with the potato salad being my favorite. Of course, my dessert wine (the Chateau D'Yquem) was by far the biggest highlight of the whole evening.

I would love to come back with more people to try some of the main dishes on the extensive menu. There are all sorts of full-sized meat and seafood entrees, as well as many other interesting wines to try!

Definitely recommended! Thanks Jackie!

Bob Bob Richard
1 Upper James St
London, UK W1F 9