Address: Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6RD
Visit: 27 July 2024.
Award: 2 Michelin Stars
Price: ***
Website: https://claudebosi.com/
The Review:
Bibendum Restaurant is located on the first floor of the Michelin House building which was built as Michelin’s (the tyre company) London HQ in 1911. In 1985 the art deco building was converted into a restaurant by Terance Conran. Then, in 2017 acclaimed French chef Claude Bosi relaunched the restaurant, and in 2018 he was awarded two Michelin stars. Claude has attained two stars previously, at Hibiscus in Ludlow and again in London, but to open a new restaurant and go from 0 to 2 stars is remarkable.
The restaurant is located above Claude Bosi’s Oyster Bar, and the entrance to the restaurant is on Sloane Avenue. The upstairs dining room showcases the iconic floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows depicting Bibendum, the Michelin Man, and there is a large central open kitchen with glass doors so you can watch the action. The tables are large and well-spaced, and the seats very comfortable.
When we visited there was an a la carte menu option, a range of tasting menus (5 courses at £195 or 7 courses at £215), and extra options such as a cheese board, and their main course signature dish roast chicken “de Bresse” (a supplement of £75, or £125 if taken as an extra course). There was also an option for the starter course, either duck jelly (a £45 supplement) or Brittany artichoke. We chose the Taste of the Season 5-course menu and swapped the Guineau fowl for the roast chicken “de Bresse”. There were two wine pairing options available – the Selection from Around the World (for the 7-course menu, 6 wines at £180) or the Selection Exceptionelle (6 wines for £495). We chose the Selection from Around the World option.
We started with some excellent warm Parmesan gougères, which were very light and tasty. These were followed by three excellent canapes – a pea and mint taco with lettuce gel and parsley puree, a curry croquette on a bed of seaweed gel, and a moules mariniere with a mussel stock, mussel ragout, mussel mayonnaise and parsley. All of these snacks were top class.
Next, was the Bibendum egg served in an egg shell, that had different layers including an egg yolk confit, broad bean hummus, broad bean and mint oil ricotta, which was a sheep ricotta marinated in hay, and topped with blackcurrant powder and lemon zest. I must admit I was slightly disappointed by this. It seemed to lack any distinctive taste and was slightly under seasoned for my palate.
A superb multigrain sourdough bread was made using grains from Fred Price’s Gothelney Farm in Somerset, and baked for Bibendum at a bakery in Cornwall. The bread was dark, and had superb taste and texture. This was one of the best sourdoughs I have ever tasted.
The starter of duck jelly was beautifully presented. The duck jelly had been infused with tarragon and coriander, sitting on a white onion soubise (French onion sauce), with smoked sturgeon mousse, a dill mayonnaise, special selection caviar, and fennel fonds, accompanied by pita bread crackers that had been brushed with the fat of the sturgeon. This was a sensational starter, packed with flavour.
The Brittany artichoke starter was cooked in three different ways – “a la grecque” where the artichoke was sous vide with braising liquor and then cut into a rose shape, a parmesan tartelette with jellified artichoke puree, and an artichoke chawanmushi (savoury egg custard).
Next was poached Scottish lobster, with a baby leek fondue underneath, a mushroom consommé made with Della Sala Italian white wine, topped with a dieppoise sauce which is a cream based sauce reduced with Chardonnay wine and shellfish including cockles, winkles, prawns, and clams. For me, this was my favourite dish of the night. The lobster had superb natural sweetness, and the sauces elevated the flavour of the lobster meat even further. Sensational!
The main course was the roast chicken “de Bresse”. The breast was served together with a skewer with leek and the chicken oysters, all covered in a rich, glossy chicken jus. On the side was a dish of Brittany Coco de Paimpol beans with girolle mushrooms, and a buttery seven hour sous vide mashed potato. This was followed by the roasted chicken leg served in a corn taco with avocado puree, cucumber slices, and chicken mayonnaise, with a grilled lime on the side that you squeezed over the taco. This was packed with flavour. Bresse chicken is one of the most celebrated varieties, and this dish managed to showcase it superbly. The meat was flavoursome and moist, the skin was crispy, and the jus perfectly unctuous. The seven hours sous vide mashed potato was packed with butter, and the beans and mushrooms a perfect accompaniment. This was a splendid main course.
There was a cheese trolley packed with French cheeses that all seemed to be in excellent condition. Unfortunately, we were unable to indulge.
The pre-dessert was a refreshing dill and lemon ice cream, with bronze fennel, candied lemon, lime gel, and dill sherbet. The main dessert was a pea custard with a white chocolate shell, 70% dark chocolate and coconut praline, smoked coconut sauce and mint oil, accompanied by a mint sorbet. The main dessert was beautifully presented. Who knew peas and chocolate worked together, but they do!
Finally, there was a magnificent petit fours trolley. The meal was completed by coffee by Difference, with a selection of top quality varieties available, and the digestifs trolley.
Service was excellent throughout. Our waitress was very friendly and was able to answer all of my questions about the food without having to refer to the kitchen. The wine selection was judged extremely well, perfectly matching the food. Our sommelier was very knowledgeable and helpful, swapping one of the tasting options for another I preferred.
This restaurant is at the top of their game. Superb cooking, high quality ingredients and top drawer service. Definitely one of the best meals I have had in London. It’s expensive, but worth every penny.
The Menus:
The Food:
The People:
French chef Claude Bosi completed his apprenticeship at Leon de Lyon, a two Michelin-starred restaurant, and worked at a variety of Michelin-starred restaurants in France including La Pyramide Fernand Point, Restaurant Chiberta, L’Arpège (under Alain Passard when the restaurant won its third Michelin star), and Restaurant Alain Ducasse.
He moved to Ludlow, Shropshire, as sous chef of Overton Grange in 1997, and later became head chef in 1999, winning his first Michelin Star.
In 2000, he opened his own restaurant, Hibiscus, in Ludlow. He won a Michelin star nine months later, and a second star in 2004. In 2007 he relocated to London and opened a 45-seat restaurant in October 2007 at 29 Maddox Street in Mayfair. Michelin only had two weeks after the restaurant opened to reassess Hibiscus, and the rating dropped down to one star in 2008. However, the second star was regained in 2009.
In October 2016, he closed Hibiscus and opened his restaurant at Bibendum, located in the old Michelin headquarters in central London. Amazingly, a year later he was awarded two Michelin stars, which is a rare feat.
In July 2018, he won the Chef Award at The Caterer’s The Catey Awards.
In 2018, he partnered with Rémy Martin to open La Maison Rémy Martin, a Cognac cocktail and food pairing bar on the ground floor. Recent ventures include the rooftop restaurant Brooklands by Claude Bosi at the recently opened Peninsula London, 1 Grosvenor Place, and French bistro Josephine on Fulham Road.
The Restaurant:
The Wine:
