It's not a secret that we have much love for Bob Bob Ricard. It's fair enough to say that much of it comes from a vodka-fuelled dinner very early in the days of Hot Dinners, but repeated visits have always been a joy. So a chance to try their recently revamped Sunday lunch was not to be passed up.
Executive Chef Eric Chavot is in charge (who's also gearing up for Bob Bob Cité) so we popped along to see how the French chef would approach a proper British Sunday lunch. Here's what we had...
One of the best ways to start a meal at Bob Bob Ricard - with caviar (unless you're doing vodka shots, of course). The caviar is 20g and is white sturgeon (£25), Siberian sturgeon (£30) or Russian Oscietra sturgeon (£40). All with blinis, of course.
Crab with chilli and avocado - with a tomato and basil consomme (£14.50). Something light to prepare for the incoming roast.
The main event - the Sunday roast with a French touch from Eric Chavot.
It's 35-day-aged Aberdeenshire Scotch beef topside, served with slow-roasted potato (triple cooked in veal fat, duck fat & butter, which are honestly some of the best we've eaten, we've clearly been roasting too fast), maple syrup-glazed carrots and parsnips and then roasted veal & beef stock jus because gravy's sometimes the most important part of a roast. It's a pretty masterful Sunday lunch. All yours for £29.50.
You really can't have a meal at BBR without ordering the lobster mac and cheese (£24.50). Quite probably the best version of it in London, properly, generously lobsterish.
And finishing off with a flaming creme brulée (£10.50) - which is how all brulées should be served, we now think.
Now, we know this is all very meat-and-seafood heavy - but BBR has also added more vegan dishes to the menu.
This includes "Truffled Potato & Mushroom Vareniki" (Russian dumplings), a vegan Waldorf salad and main courses of "Pearl Barley Kasha & Pickled Forest Mushrooms and Tolma a La Tolstoy" which is courgette and round vine tomato stuffed with spiced chickpeas, bulgar wheat and quinoa, served with zhug and tomato coulis. And finish off with "Rum & Raisin Rice Pudding with vintage Panama rum, coconut, caramelised banana and mango sorbet." So there's plenty on offer.
Hot Dinners were invited to Bob Bob Ricard. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
More about Bob Bob Ricard
Where is it? 1 Upper James St, Soho, London W1F 9D
How to book: Book online or call 020 3145 1000
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Twitter @bobbobricard.
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