Bob Bob Ricard (1 Upper James Street, London, W1F 9DF) A visit to BBR is like eating in a parallel brasserie universe with questionable taste. The decor is more queasy than quirky – and it discolours the entire experience as you try to settle on some kind of workable explanation for why they chose to make it look the way it does. They've certainly spared no expense and gone to considerable lengths to create a unique environment – but it's unsettling in a David Lynch film kind of way. it's difficult to take the staff seriously looking as laughable as they do in their uniforms – and their attention is too laboured to come anything close to the unobtrusive slickness enjoyed at somewhere like The Wolseley. The menu is baffling as they try to sell you various packaged concepts of meals – we went for tea and it was impossible to simply order a piece of cake. In addition to all this it was absolutely devoid of any buzz or atmosphere. I can't imagine any compelling reason to ever consider going back. A true oddity.
Link to this reviewAugust 2009 |