Launched in May in 2019, Leonid Shutov’s Square Mile-based follow-up to his luxury Soho restaurant Bob Bob Ricard has been closed since the beginning of the pandemic.
Hobson has a CV that's well suited to the Franco-Russian ‘bistrôt deluxe’ menu he has been charged with creating, with experience at restaurants including Galvin at Windows, The Hand & Flowers and The Star Inn at Harome.
The launch menu will include escargots en persillade; quail grillé with truffle jus; tarte tatin; and Armagnac doughnuts. Bob Bob Ricard classics will also feature on the menu, including the dégustation of caviar; oysters ‘Rasputin’; Russian pelmeni and vareniki dumplings; turbot coulibiac; and beef Wellington.
“Ben has been working very hard behind the scenes throughout Bob Bob Ricard City’s closure. He brings with him tremendous passion, talent, and classic French expertise from his many years at Galvin at Windows," says Shutov.
Champagne will remain an important part of the drinks offering, with 70 options, and 10 available by the glass from £12.50-£29, including Moet & Chandon, Bollinger, Dom Pérignon Vintage, Ayala, and Krug. Bob Bob Ricard's famous Press for Champagne buttons will be available at every booth. Burgundy wines, both red and white, will also take centre stage, with 100 options, including magnums and jeroboams.
Shutov is planning to make Bob Bob Ricard City much more similar to the Soho original in terms of design with the interiors set to be ‘reimagined’ by Brady Williams.
Described as ‘warmer, cosier, and richer’ the look and feel will be more closely aligned to those of Bob Bob Ricard Soho, but evoking modern-day luxury travel as opposed to the 1920s style at the Soho site.
New finishes will include ornate stone, polished brass, and lacquered rosewood, and three private dining rooms will accommodate groups of nine to 18.
The food at Bob Bob Cité was originally overseen by Eric Chavot but the once two-Michelin-starred chef moved on a year or so after the restaurant launched.
The original Bob Bob Ricard launched on Upper James Street in 2008 and shook up London's luxury restaurant market with its high-end design, fun approach to eating out and fair wine mark up policy.
