Harden's says
Formerly Bob Bob Cité, Leonid Shutov has rebranded his £25m City creation as Bob Bob Ricard City, and making it similar in style to the Soho original.
Harden's survey result
Summary
The ‘Press for Champagne’ button has become an Instagram classic – made famous by the original Soho branch of Leonid Shutov’s decadent diners, which provide luxurious treats like caviar and beef Wellington all served in a sumptuous environment, whose dark wood and polished surfaces evoke the deco glam of a trip on the Orient Express. “A fun place for a celebration” or romance, they are also notably “overpriced” – a factor harder to overlook in the era of straitened post-Covid expense accounts, when splashy business dining (for which they are a favourite) has been reined in. Perhaps that’s why the renamed ‘Bob Bob Cité’ – a “nightclub-like space” occupying a floor of the City’s Cheesegrater – has failed to make waves, and generates very few (albeit positive) reports. In August 2023, the group (celebrating its fifteenth year) started a new, 56-seat spin-off, a few doors down from the original, called ‘Bébé Bob’: the offering here will shoehorn champagne and caviar into a more dressed-down offering, alongside rotisserie chicken as the main event.
Summary
“Always fun with the ‘Press for Champagne’ button!” – Leonid Shutov’s decadently boothed joint sets an extravagant tone, ideal “for special occasions” and also “taking the awkwardness out of any business lunch or dinner”. It’s “not a cheap option, though, so you have to like the guest...”. The luxurious food, including a selection of caviar, is “fair” – “stick with the classics (such as beef Wellington to die for) to avoid disappointment”. Fortunately, the wine is “not overpriced” thanks to a £50 mark-up limit which favours the top of the list. In late 2021, Shutov relaunched the glitzy offshoot in the City’s Cheesegrater, changing its name from Bob Bob Cité to Bob Bob Ricard City. Early reports say it’s “got a lot to live up to, but it turns out the vibe amongst the banks, bling and skyscrapers of the Square Mile really works!”. More spinoffs are planned, as in late summer 2022, the brand announced it has VC backing for national and international expansion.(Note: Bob Bob Ricard has raised funds for Ukraine and changed the spelling of chicken Kyiv following the Russian invasion).
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