New blog, new review. Out for dinner and a catch up with a couple of lovely ladies on a pleasant spring evening. After a couple of drinks at a nearby Sam Smith pub, we wander up Charlotte Street to the unassuming Bobo Social. It's one of those charming locations, of which there are many across London, where the shape and structure of what was presumably once a city home is clearly still apparent. The main eating area is effectively a sizeable front room, but manages to nail "cosy" without being cramped. The rather lovely single toilet is fitting for a plush townhouse, complete with individual hand towels and shabby-chic decor. But enough about the interior, we came here to eat and drink, and that we did.
We started off with a cocktail each to help peruse the small but appealing menu. I didn't get off to the best start, opting for the Black Basil Cosmopolitan, which was sadly rather tasteless, lacking the flavours of black cherry and basil as promised on the menu. My companions went for the London Buck (pleasant but a little too subtle - would have been better with ginger beer rather than ginger ale for more of a kick) and a Margarita (very well balanced and enjoyable, by far the best of the bunch).
We decided to share 2 of the small plates between the 3 of us to start, selecting the Salt & Pepper Crispy Squid and Fillet Steak Strips. Although they possibly should have been listed as very small plates, what they lacked in size they certainly made up for in flavour. The morsels of squid were succulent and tasty, with a light breaded coating and a generous amount of lemon aioli. The steak was delicious, just seared to seal in the flavour and served with a subtle avocado salsa.
As this is a burger eatery, literally the only choice for main is a burger. They all sound tasty, but I couldn't resist the lure of the lobster and crab burger with dill caper cream and wasabi fried onions. The others went for a capsicum burger (beef burger with chorizo, manchego, chillies and tomato salsa) and a custom Bobo beef burger with maple cured bacon and Colston Bassett Stilton. We chose the skin-on, beef dripping Bobo chips, sweet potato chips with truffle salt, and apple slaw with toasted pumpkin seeds to accompany our burger selection. The burgers are served on traditional blue and white china plates, with the sides presented in China tea cups. It's just quaint enough to be endearing without trying too hard. The burgers are a very decent size, and the sides are just the right amount to make a good hearty meal. My crustacean burger is soft, well seasoned and incredibly moreish. The dill and wasabi flavours are not overpowering and really complement the favour of the meat. In fact we all enjoyed our burgers so much that there was no sharing of mains to be had! So I think it's safe to say that the beef options were as enjoyable as the seafood. We went for wine by the glass - it pays to look closely at the menu - a bottle of Malbec was actually a few pence more expensive than 3 large glasses. The ladies went for the Malbec Leduc to go with their beef, and shunning convention, I also went for a red - a Biferno Montepulciano Aglianico Camillo de Lellis - with my lobster and crab. Both wines were extremely enjoyable and nicely matched to our dishes. The Malbec was round and spicy, the Montepulciano light and fruity with some lovely topnotes of blackberry.
I'm not much of a pudding person, but I couldn't resist the sound of the Cohiba dessert cocktail. A heady mix of Havana, bourbon, cherry brandy and an unconventional addition of tobacco liqueur. In a pleasing contrast to my first cocktail, this one was packed full of flavour, the sweet woodiness of the tobacco complementing the rich flavours of the spirits. My friend went for the cheesecake, which was very tasty if slightly on the rich side, and there was another Margarita and an espresso martini enjoyed all round.
I've not mentioned the service thus far, but by no means is that a bad thing. Aside from being offered drinks twice on being seated, for me the service was excellent. Attentive without being smothering, polite and friendly but never forced. The staff were rather attractive too, although one isn't supposed to comment on such things in this day and age.
One last thing worth a mention - the special burger each week is created from the Experimental Burger Society held on Monday evenings. For £35 a head, members of the public can create their own burger with exotic meats. The best burger of the evening then gets added to the menu for the week. A meat pairing and wine tasting starter are also included.
So, Bobo Social - slightly pricey but totally worth it burgers, very tasty sides and variable cocktails. Great service, relaxed atmosphere and some lovely wine to boot. I'd be more than happy to go back, and would definitely consider the experimental evening as something a little different. Besides, I forgot to take any pictures of the food so I'll just have to go back for more!
