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| Press the champagne button |
The names Bob..Bob Ricard
What better way to kick off ones foodie week than dining at a luxury Russian restaurant in London’s Soho area. This place had a golden plush interior that wouldn’t look too far out of place in a Bond film. The film in this case being Goldfinger of course and in the midst of all that gold and blue interior is a button that sticks out just above the dinner table . Visions of failed stooges, trap doors and peckish sharks at the push of this button actually came to mind. As much as one would hope however ( makes me sound nuts right ) or not hope, this button doesn’t bring forth sharks, but the finest champagne. Top marks for ingenuity and I do really mean that because it was that feature that made me book Bob Bob Ricard when she saw a piece in the Evening Standard. Well that and the 25% discount you get courtesy of the Monday off peak menu. Their lunch menu is priced , on average, 20% below the dinner menu.
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| The names Bob..Bob Bob Richard |
To push or not to push
We checked out the menu and decided to push the button for 2 glasses of champagne just to see if it does what it says on the tin. E pressed it and our waiter was next to her in less than 3 seconds. He was so fast she was actually startled and almost whispered what manner of sorcery is this?. We spent a while trying to figure out how he did it. Was he wearing an Apple Watch that shows the table number ? Did he have an ear piece ? Maybe our table lamp had a different glow and only the waiters could tell because the owners fitted them with augmented eye implants designed in a Siberian laboratory. A few more seconds of looking and the answers we were searching for was just above the drinks bar. Table numbers that glows when the buttons get pushed. Simple, yet effective. Now two rules comes to mind when you push this button
Know the rules :
Rule No 1
Not a first date venue..unless papa has an oil well in Lagos or mum owns an investment fund. If you still insist on going however, there are precautions you can take. See the next rule
Rule No 2
Does your date like champagne … if yes make sure you actually sit next to the button and not your date. If the answers no..well make sure you still sit next to the button. The last thing you want is your date discovering he/ she loved champagne all along.
she refused to share her starter
Drinks ordered, here are pictures of the dishes we had over the course of the evening. The kitchen is run by an executive chef that held 2 Michelin stars for a decade, Eric Chavot. It must be noted however that I didn’t taste everything we ordered because sharing jumped out of the window slightly. By that I mean my foodie partner refused to share their truffled potato and mushroom starter. It apparently tasted soo sublime she was already planning to order it again on her next visit . I asked my waiter for tips and the advice was to try a fresh salmon tartare brought to life with generous amounts of roe that adds a slightly salty dimension to the dish.
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| Salmon tartare garnished with salmon roe, cucumber , horseradish and fennel |
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| Truffled potato and mushroom Vareniki |
For mains E had a perfect Lobster Macaroni and Cheese dish that was made with fresh lobster , Gruyere ,Cheddar , mozzarella and Parmesan. She loved it soo much I heard purring across the table. I tried some and actually loved it . Well maybe I didn’t love it as much as my 28 day aged Aberdeenshire Scottish beef bathed in a pool of truffle gravy. The meat was intensely flavorful, juicy and cooked just the way I liked it..medium rare.
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| Lobster macaroni and cheese
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| Chateaubriand served with truffle gravy |
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| Tasty Aberdeenshire scotch beef
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| Truffle potato mash was yum |
They had me at Souffle
For desserts we ordered the two souffles, a sour cherry souffle and a strawberry and cream souffle. The latter was served with strawberry coulis and pouring scream. It was sooo good I licked it all up and had some of E’s for added measure. She didnt like her sour cherry souffle as much because she was expecting something more akin to a fondant ( this was her first ever souffle).
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| Strawberry soufflé heaven |
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| Strawberry and cream soufflé
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| Strawberry coulis and pouring cream flowing through the soufflé |
Show me the money
An evening of 3 courses , 4 glasses of champagne and a glass of Vin de Constance nicknamed Africa’s greatest sweet wine because Napoleon Bonaparte used to have it shipped to his death bed while he was exiled in St Helena, resulted in a bill of about £197 including service charge. It may be a bill worthy of an emperor, however dinner at this luxury Russian restaurant was worth every penny.
I give Bob Bob Ricard a Makele 4.7 out of 5 stars.
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| Napoleon refused everything but a glass of Constanta wine on his death bed : priorities |
