Bar Boulud is a bistro and wine bar in the heart of Knightsbridge. It’s owned by Daniel Boulud who is a Michelin starred chef with many a restaurant all over the world. He’s possibly best known for his eponymous three Michelin starred restaurant in New York.
This being his only London restaurant it’s clearly popular with the warmly welcomed locals, as when we visited on a Saturday lunchtime it was rather busy. It had a relaxed atmosphere with a slightly posher Angus Steak House feel to it. It seemed to be the sort of place that the nice folk of Knightsbridge take their children for lunch – and they can scream and run about the place to their hearts content. This sort of thing would normally annoy the hell out of me but it seemed fine here and it didn’t bother me one bit!
The menu was enormous with lots of choices and it wasn’t all cheap – after all we were in Knightsbridge. I decided to start with the grilled tiger prawns with lemon and garlic butter (£14). The prawns were perfectly cooked and the butter which had a subtle flair of chilli within it was delicious. So good was the sauce that when I’d devoured the soft meaty prawn flesh we both used the house bread (which was lovely) to soak up the rest of it.
My gentleman companion opted for the grilled octopus and potato salad (£14.50). Although the squid had a blackened chargrilled outside it was actually very tender. The luke warm crushed potatoes didn’t bring anything necessary to the dish but the sauce vierge gave the squid a light Mediterranean flavouring which was lovely.
We’d heard a few good things about the burgers at Bar Boulud so both ordered one. My gentleman companion opted for the Piggie (£12.75) which was a thick beef patty topped with BBQ pulled pork, green chilli mayo, bibb lettuce and red cabbage slaw sandwiched between a cheddar bun. This was a meaty treaty – lots of strong flavours going on which all amounted to a mouthful of loveliness.
I opted for the BB (£19.50) which was a thick beef patty (cooked medium rare – take that Westminster council!) topped with red wine braised short ribs, foie gras, truffle, frisée, horseradish mayo and confit tomato sandwiched between a black onion seeded bun. It really was as posh as it sounds! Yet it wasn’t as rich as I’d worried it might be and all those different ingredients married together rather well. The patty itself was seriously juicy and the braised short ribs added some extra sauce giving it the perfect ‘slop factor’. I loved it.
The pommes frites (£4) had a great blend between crunchiness and sogginess which I love. We shared a portion but I would have gladly eaten one lot to myself.
Feeling too full for a pudding (what’s happened to me?!) we decided to share some macaroons (£5) which we quickly regretted. They had been refrigerated and had therefore lost the majority of their mango and hazelnut flavour. They also had a disappointingly soggy inside.
This being a minor blip in an otherwise enjoyable lunch, the minging macaroons (is minging a real word?) were easily forgiven. We thought the burgers were absolutely delicious, the service sweet and friendly and the atmosphere busy and bustling. It ain’t cheap, but it’s Knightsbridge darling, if you want a cheap burger then go somewhere else!
8/10
