Cult Russian Restaurant Follow-Up Will Open More Than a Whole Year Late

Updated 24.10.2018 — With a new opening date.

The long-awaited follow-up restaurant from Russian restaurateur Leonid Shutov and his cult Soho venue Bob Bob Ricard, is now expected to open in March 2019 the 15 January 2019 — exactly a year later than was originally planned. The restaurant, which at one stage was called Bob Bob Exchange, will open on level three of the Leadenhall Building (also known as the “Cheesegrater”) in the City.

Following a tweet by Bloomberg’s Richard Vines, the operator told Eater, “Bob Bob Cité is currently running 12 months behind schedule — still an improvement on Bob Bob Ricard which was 18 months behind once finished! Our target opening date is January 2019.”

Today, 24 October, the Evening Standard quotes Shutov saying that the new restuarant has been inundated with reservation requests. “One concierge service told us that they have had over five thousand reservation requests for Bob Bob Cité since it has been delayed,” he said.

The project, on which Vines says spending has “risen to £11 million”, was first announced in September last year, when the one-time Raymond Blanc protégé (and former owner of Brasserie Chavot) Eric Chavot was confirmed as both the opening head chef and executive head chef across both Bob Bob Ricard, and Bob Bob Cité.

The City, which the sometimes-radical Shutov described last year as his favourite part of London was deemed the perfect location for his follow-up site: “It is such a dramatic mix of old and new. It is home to some of the world’s best contemporary architecture and it gives us an opportunity to build London’s first truly urban, 21st-century luxury restaurant,” he said.

More soon.

• 10 Excellent Places to Eat Russian Food in London [ELDN]