Claude Bosi at Bibendum

 Modern French with International flair

Cheltenham beetroot, sherry cream, smoked pike roe

There are plenty of fine dining restaurants in London, but very few warrant me to go back. There are so many restaurants out there charging silly prices but hardly delivering any value. There are only a few handfuls of high-end restaurants that justify a return in my book, and Claude Bosi at Bibendum is one of them. The double Michelin-starred modern French restaurant is a serious contender to be the next 3 stars winner by many chefs in the UK. I have personally eaten there a few times and also back in the days when Claude was at Hibiscus in Mayfair, without a doubt, he is a super-talented chef.

New season Torbay prawns, toasted rice, lemon oil

Cornish monkfish, Singaporean pepper sauce, pickled cucumber

This is my 3rd time visiting the restaurant, and as usual, I opted for the tasting menu. The canape of foie ice cream was seriously good, sweet, and creamy with a wonderful depth of savory flavour. Claude is known for adding Asian flavour to his cooking and the monkfish with Singaporean-style black pepper sauce is a great example. The fish was cooked to perfection, very moist and meaty, which worked extremely well with the black pepper sauce. I got to say the pigeon was presented in a very standard way, it lacked the sophistication for a restaurant to aspire to be at the top. Having said that, both the flavour and texture were excellent. It was rich and the sweet and sour, bold profile of the tamarind sauce added balance, not to mention it was followed by a killer don yum style pigeon broth.

Scottish ceps Cornish winkles, green dill, white truffle

Pigeon Royal tamarind, golden turnip, coriander

For me, Claude is one of the few chefs in the UK able to draw out Asian flavours and employed in modern French cooking in a refined way. The service on the day was friendly and attentive, along with a beautiful and well-spread-out dining room, Claude Bosi at Bibendum ticks many boxes for me. However, I do feel the 2 Michelin stars rating is just right, and is not yet a 3 stars venue despite so many chefs thinking it deserves it. Having said that, I would rate this restaurant be my personal top 5 western fine dining spots in London (Along with Ledbury, Core, Kitchen Table, and Alex Dilling).

Food 4.5/5

Executive chef: 
Claude Bosi

What I paid: 
£245 pp with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£185 tasting menu


Michelin House, 81 Fulham Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 6RD

http://bibendum.co.uk/