Bob Bob Ricard

Beyond the Instagram gimmicks, Bob Bob Ricard is a rarity. How so? It’s probably one of the very few restaurants in London, indeed the world, that actually understands the concept of personal space. Look around and it’s not just the boulevard-esque runways between the tables that’ll prick your senses, but the "BB" clad ,and dare I say it, diner-style booths that preach all shades of schmoozing á la prive (and under the radar).

It’s like stepping aboard the Orient Express, (the point, I am told as I take it all in starry-eyed) styled as an ode to Golden Age of travelling the tracks with all its marble table tops, oak panelling and terrazzo floors. It looks expensive, feels expensive and was expensive.

It’s, as we say in the fashion world, “off the rails chic.”

The man behind it is Russian entrepreneur turned British restaurateur Leonid Shutov, whose quite obvious passion for all things luxe, rare, a bit bling, off the scale sexy and exquisite manifested itself in his first restaurant’s design with David Collins Studio. Collins was known for his often-brilliant use of colour, glamourous materials, flattering lighting and the odd surprise (cue the press for champagne button and all those delicious baby-pink accents), so the marriage was pretty much a no brainer.

There’s a touch of unapologetic lavish imagination about Bob Bob, too. Look up to the sexy mirrored ceilings, perch on the marble-top bar, or chillax by the windows aimlessly people watching, and the place is a fantastical grid post for the #AccidentallyWesAnderson Instagram page. There’s a sense of place; a storied sense of being a part of a grand old Hollywood flick as you scoff on oysters, all forms of comfort food and swig champagne…it’s somewhat surreal, especially slap bang in the middle of the roar and thunder of London’s seedy, yet always fun, Soho.

Then there’s its playfulness. Satin brass finishes and accents of copper, especially in the crowning J. & L. Lobmeyr chandeliers give the spot a touch of extra naughty ambience. Dimmed lighting evokes a sense of naughty opulence exceeded by the space’s dashing play of colours that streak through the main restaurant space into the Private Dining Room.

Oozing all shades of sexiness and all things frisky, Bob Bob Ricard is a prime date night spot, and will be for years to come.