BOB BOB CITÉ || An Aviation-Inspired Dining Experience
Suspended 30-meters above the atrium of London’s iconic Leadenhall Building, Bob Bob Cité will transport you to the interior of an imaginary, twentieth-century Zeppelin airship.
Bob Bob Cité opened its doors to the public earlier this year to much fanfare, as it is the highly-anticipated sister restaurant to Bob Bob Ricard, a renowned high-end restaurant in London’s Soho district. Both restaurants are owned by restauranteur Leonid Shutov, and although sharing many similarities with sibling restaurant Bob Bob Ricard including a booth-centric design layout, Bob Bob Cité is characterized by its high-end French dishes and a brand new restaurant concept that brings a contemporary, futuristic twist to the establishment. The interior was designed by BradyWilliams, a bespoke, London-based interior design studio known for its timeless designs with an emphasis on fine craftsmanship and acute detailing. Tasked to create the only premium restaurant space within the iconic Leadenhall building, the BradyWilliams team used the combined effect of the very best in craftsmanship and materials to bring Londoners a refreshing, immersive, and one-of-a-kind space that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Five long years in the making and an estimated project cost of $25 Million Euros later, Bob Bob Cité was born. The high-end restaurant features a main restaurant space comprised of a blue and red room with 264 seats, as well as three private dining rooms that can host up to eighteen guests each. Each of the private dining rooms also includes a personal anteroom, a smaller outer room that can be used for a standing drinks reception before settling in for dinner.
Upon entering the establishment, guests are welcomed into the spacious main dining area highlighted by its intricate material detailings with unique patterns and finishes. Reflective chrome, leather and prints come together in harmony with the 800+ bespoke light fittings, and 24 chandeliers by local lighting designer and manufacturer, Dernier & Hamlyn. The intricate rosewood marquetry paneling throughout the walls and ceilings is the largest single project to be undertaken by Warwickshire-based, family-owned specialist joiners Stan Tarver, who also did the joinery for sibling restaurant Bob Bob Ricard. Each individual panel was created off-site and installed as complete pieces in order to ensure a certain level of precision that cannot be achieved with on-site fabrication.
Throughout the space, guests can sit back and relax on the comfortable, custom banquette seatings designed by Noble Russell of Rutland, upholstered in beautiful tactile leather by Andrew Muirhead & Son, a Glasgow-based, family-owned, premium leather manufacturer. Window seatings along one side of the restaurant are reminiscent of first-class train seatings, letting diners peer out from the rectangular, train-like windows while they enjoy their meals on the tall, leather-padded seats.
Mirror-polished steel trims over twelve-and-a-half kilometers long in combined length, and weighing over five-and-a-half tons are used to accent the Japanese book-binding-paper-clad wall panels throughout the restaurant, all being held in place by a total of forty-eight thousand hand-polished ‘snake eye’ bolts. According to the design team, the combined weight of the steel trims and bolts were so great that a separate structural assessment had to be done prior to installation to ensure that the floor plate could support the load.
Perhaps the most recognizable design feature, however, is the famous ‘Press for Champagne’ button at every booth, a popular, original design from sibling restaurant Bob Bob Ricard. Unlike the originals, the buttons at Bob Bob Cité took a contemporary French twist to align with the restaurant theme. The design found in every dining booth features the French text ‘Pressez pour le Champagne’ around the button, encouraging guests to press on it for champagne. To pay homage to London and its characteristic ticker-tape throughout the city, the design team installed custom ticker-tape wraps around the restaurant’s outer facade, as well as every dining room within the restaurant. Whenever a ‘Pressez pour le Champagne’ is activated by a table, the table number is illuminated on the ticker-tape throughout the space. This immersive design allows guests to interact with their surrounding environment, making Bob Bob Ciaté a destination for special occasions and celebrations by engaging others in the restaurant to share the joy.
“Bob Bob Cité is an iconic forward-thinking design aesthetic, a true collaboration with Leonid Shutov, creating a space that will change the way that people think about restaurant design; where ultra-camp meets ultra-luxury”
The private dining rooms that seat up to eighteen people.
The glamorous washroom sink stalls.
The private dining room clad in red.
The level of care and attention to detail the BradyWilliams team brought to Bob Bob Cité is second to none, making it one of London’s most anticipated establishments this year. The interactive concept and magical, Polar Express-like interior will make it a refreshing dining destination for locals and out-of-town visitors alike - whether you are looking for the celebration of your lifetime or an intimate, unconventional night out.
Project Details
Project Name: Bob Bob Cité
Restaurant Website: https://www.bobbobcite.com/
Design Team: BradyWilliams Studio
Photography Courtesy of BradyWilliams Studio
