It seems to be 'icon' week here in the CC household having eaten first at The Gun, we now find ourselves at Bob Bob Ricard. I know very little about BBR (as friends of BBR call it) but I do know that it's beloved of bloggers and twitterers alike so that a critical review might yet cast us into the social media wilderness if our review of The Gun hasn't already.
Churchill said 'although prepared for martyrdom, I prefer that it be postponed.' Our sentiments exactly, but that said, bloggers should never pull their punches, and to introduce an early spoiler, there were things we liked about BBR but there were also some things we did not.
Churchill said 'although prepared for martyrdom, I prefer that it be postponed.' Our sentiments exactly, but that said, bloggers should never pull their punches, and to introduce an early spoiler, there were things we liked about BBR but there were also some things we did not.
caviar in the downstairs bar
We started off downstairs in the freshly reopened bar which was perfectly nicely done; there's clearly been a lot of money spent from its days as The Circus (which is what it was when I last went there). We'd been recommended to try the 'vodka & caviar' special priced at the very reasonable level of £15.50 so that seemed in order. Elsewhere on the menu, there were lots of reminders that you were at BBR with the BBR Botanical (champagne cocktail), the Blackberry Lady Bob (Martini) and Mini Box of Bob Bob Ricard Baby White Popcorn. All this served up in Bobby's Bar in Bob emblazened chairs. We thought it a touch naughty too that the champagne cocktails on the menu don't actually contain champagne but sparkling wine instead, but admittedly, the ingredients list does make this clear and they are reasonably priced. Coming back to the caviar, while we appreciate that you don't get much in the caviar world for £15, especially when a glass of vodka is attached, it had little by way of caviar taste leaving you mostly with the taste of belinis and sour cream. An esssential problem with any 'bargain' I guess - never something for nothing.
We enjoyed the upstairs decor too and the individual booths for diners, though I do think if we do get any fatter, those booths might start to feel a little small, but I guess BBR is aimed at a youthful market who are yet to wear their meals like a snug waistcoat. Having been given the menus, we perused, and as we perused, we agreed that champagne was in order and accordingly pressed the BBR famous 'press for champagne' button. We held our breath with excitement, we waited, we waited some more, we let out our breath and took another breath, and then we waited a little longer.
For the next few minutes we then proceeded to breath normally and waited some more. Finally, laying our menus flat in front of us having by then chosen our food, someone came over to take our order. This heralded button, this somewhat gimmicky disappointment of a button - maybe ours wasn't connected - being so ignored by the serving staff was the start of what would be an evening of very mixed service.
The hugely redeeming factor is that the wine list is so reasonably priced. Indeed, they make a point on the menu of emphasising that i) their mark up per bottle never exceeds £50, and ii) that the wines they offer on their menu are priced at so much more on other restaurants menu (they tell you exactly how much). We've never seen anything like this before on a menu but we certainly applaud what they do here and it actually encouraged us to buy more wine and better wine because we felt like we were getting value. Accordingly, we had a Pol Roger 98, a Puligny Montrachet 07 and a Langoa Barton 1997. This latter wine cost us £68 while the menu tell us that this same wine costs £99 at The Greenhouse. Had there been only the usual two of us at the table rather than four of us as there were on this occassion, we would have moved yet further down the list for if the maximum mark up is £50, the more expensive the wine, the better the value as the fixed mark up makes a lower percentage of the total cost when served at the table.
Credit where credit is due, we think their wine policy is progressive and refreshing and really changes the economics of the meal for the customer (and it has to be said, for the restaurant itself I'm sure). Accordingly, we can imagine that BBR becomes a wine destination as much as a food destination.
For the next few minutes we then proceeded to breath normally and waited some more. Finally, laying our menus flat in front of us having by then chosen our food, someone came over to take our order. This heralded button, this somewhat gimmicky disappointment of a button - maybe ours wasn't connected - being so ignored by the serving staff was the start of what would be an evening of very mixed service.
The hugely redeeming factor is that the wine list is so reasonably priced. Indeed, they make a point on the menu of emphasising that i) their mark up per bottle never exceeds £50, and ii) that the wines they offer on their menu are priced at so much more on other restaurants menu (they tell you exactly how much). We've never seen anything like this before on a menu but we certainly applaud what they do here and it actually encouraged us to buy more wine and better wine because we felt like we were getting value. Accordingly, we had a Pol Roger 98, a Puligny Montrachet 07 and a Langoa Barton 1997. This latter wine cost us £68 while the menu tell us that this same wine costs £99 at The Greenhouse. Had there been only the usual two of us at the table rather than four of us as there were on this occassion, we would have moved yet further down the list for if the maximum mark up is £50, the more expensive the wine, the better the value as the fixed mark up makes a lower percentage of the total cost when served at the table.
Credit where credit is due, we think their wine policy is progressive and refreshing and really changes the economics of the meal for the customer (and it has to be said, for the restaurant itself I'm sure). Accordingly, we can imagine that BBR becomes a wine destination as much as a food destination.
prawn cocktail
A mixture of starters round the table, prawn cocktail came elaborately presented, quails egg with truffle which would appeal to any truffle fans out there and a venison tartare. This latter dish did lack a little flavour though and was the weakest of the starters ordered.
With the leg of lamb ordered for the main course (a serving for two people), which is cooked to order and therefore can be an hour or so to the table, we had ordered an intermediate course of 'vareniki', a traditional stuffed dumpling associated with Ukranian cuisine and 'pelmeni', unleavened dough dumplings whose origins are based in Siberia. Given BBR's Russian roots, we thought it would be fun to try these. The vareniki was potato and the pelmeni was meat and both were nice. Indeed, there was some votes for this being the dish of the day.
With the leg of lamb ordered for the main course (a serving for two people), which is cooked to order and therefore can be an hour or so to the table, we had ordered an intermediate course of 'vareniki', a traditional stuffed dumpling associated with Ukranian cuisine and 'pelmeni', unleavened dough dumplings whose origins are based in Siberia. Given BBR's Russian roots, we thought it would be fun to try these. The vareniki was potato and the pelmeni was meat and both were nice. Indeed, there was some votes for this being the dish of the day.
whole leg of lamb for two
BBR is known for its lobster
For the mains, we ordered the lobster, as this is a promient feature of the BBR menu whatever time of day, veal holstein (a classic veal escalope with a fried egg, capers and anchovy fillets named after Count Holstein, foreign minister under Bismarck) and, as noted, the leg of lamb for two. The leg of lamb is presented to the table whole and is then taken away to be carved and then brought back to the table.
The lamb first, wonderfully presented and good and tasty, this was quite original in how it is offered to the diner and BBR get marks for this. It was certainly appreciated at our table. It does though come with nothing else so be sure to order some sides.
The lobster was pretty good too in quantity and quality and with the squeeze of lemon and the tasty cooking juices, it was a pretty decent lobster showing and certainly didn't leave me hungry by the end. The french fries too were pretty tasty.
The veal got the lowest marks of the evening and was considered a little bland resulting in the plate not entirely being cleared.
The lamb first, wonderfully presented and good and tasty, this was quite original in how it is offered to the diner and BBR get marks for this. It was certainly appreciated at our table. It does though come with nothing else so be sure to order some sides.
The lobster was pretty good too in quantity and quality and with the squeeze of lemon and the tasty cooking juices, it was a pretty decent lobster showing and certainly didn't leave me hungry by the end. The french fries too were pretty tasty.
The veal got the lowest marks of the evening and was considered a little bland resulting in the plate not entirely being cleared.
Thus far, we really like their wine policy (and wines) and the food has been good in parts, though ocassionally underwhelming. However, we did find the service to be very uneven. The front door folk were good, Richard came over and said hello and he was very amiable, and our upstairs male waiter was friendly enough. On the negative side, the service was often 'unavailable' like when we pressed the champagne button and nothing happened anytime soon and the female waitresses were so sullen that one of our party commented that 'they look like they have had their passports taken off them and have been beaten into submission'. As the barman said to the anteater, 'why the long face?'
However, what really lit the touchpaper is when Mrs CC who is five foot nothing and therefore whose feet and legs often dangle from chairs rather than connect with the floor was told to take her feet of the banquet as she curled her leg up Indian style to sit in greater comfort. Given that the banquet was made of durable leather, she wasn't wearing heels, it hadn't been raining and at the very most, a quick wipedown would remove any dust that might possibly be left, to be 'told off' by one of these surly waitresses when the bill is running up towards the £500 mark did not go down well. It certainly didn't open our wallet any further. We sought Richard for a ruling but he had left for the evening by this point; we shortly followed.
Overall, we can see why people like BBR: the place itself is lively and most probably even fashionable, the menu enjoyable enough (though not challenging) and the drink probably unsurpassed in value within the London serious restaurant scene. And maybe we hit an off day (or maybe our waitress herself hit an off day). The food too was broadly good enough but is it actually a foodie destination or is it rather a fashionable party destination? Most probably the latter. BBR occupies a prime location just off Golden Square but how far out of our way would we go to seek it out? We suspect not too far. With the final bill coming in at around £120 a head, it is moving into proper money territory and yet from a foodie perspective, there wasn't so much that was properly memorable yet there should be. Perhaps what we'll remember most is getting told off but we can get told off for a lot less money than that.
In the end then, is it enough to command our loyalty for a return visit? No time soon I suspect though we might give it another try in due course and see if the experience differs. I guess social media wilderness beckons.
However, what really lit the touchpaper is when Mrs CC who is five foot nothing and therefore whose feet and legs often dangle from chairs rather than connect with the floor was told to take her feet of the banquet as she curled her leg up Indian style to sit in greater comfort. Given that the banquet was made of durable leather, she wasn't wearing heels, it hadn't been raining and at the very most, a quick wipedown would remove any dust that might possibly be left, to be 'told off' by one of these surly waitresses when the bill is running up towards the £500 mark did not go down well. It certainly didn't open our wallet any further. We sought Richard for a ruling but he had left for the evening by this point; we shortly followed.
Overall, we can see why people like BBR: the place itself is lively and most probably even fashionable, the menu enjoyable enough (though not challenging) and the drink probably unsurpassed in value within the London serious restaurant scene. And maybe we hit an off day (or maybe our waitress herself hit an off day). The food too was broadly good enough but is it actually a foodie destination or is it rather a fashionable party destination? Most probably the latter. BBR occupies a prime location just off Golden Square but how far out of our way would we go to seek it out? We suspect not too far. With the final bill coming in at around £120 a head, it is moving into proper money territory and yet from a foodie perspective, there wasn't so much that was properly memorable yet there should be. Perhaps what we'll remember most is getting told off but we can get told off for a lot less money than that.
In the end then, is it enough to command our loyalty for a return visit? No time soon I suspect though we might give it another try in due course and see if the experience differs. I guess social media wilderness beckons.
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