Bon Vivant arrived in Bloomsbury a few weeks ago with a bang. In case your GCSE French is a distant memory, the direct translation is: A person who devotes themselves to a sociable and luxurious lifestyle.
Well if that doesn’t sell it to you – we don’t know what will.
Giving a firm two fingers up to Brexit and all it represents, Bon Vivant is a sexy little number, open from croissant o’clock until late (and after a few of their Dirty Pink cocktails – gin, lemon, Chambord, eggwhite – we lost all track of time!)
We tucked into a delectable selection of small plates including that oh-so-French Chevre Chaud salad with bites of crostini, slathered in melted goats cheese with salty lardons and crunchy walnuts. A highlight of the whole evening was for us the pretty as a picture, Salmon Marinee – ribbons of cured salmon with pickled veg and dollops of crème-fraîche.
In typical French style, expect Bavette steak (or flat iron) alongside super decadent truffled spinach with confit garlic and red wine jus. And although French restaurants are not normally known for their vegetarian dishes, the fresh tagliatelle with truffle shavings is well worth ordering (we got one ‘for the table’).
Leave plenty of room for dessert though – the fondant au chocolate with hazelnut ice cream is every bit as sexy as it sounds.
At the weekend you’re encouraged to ‘Get Frenched’ with Bon Vivant’s Drunch – go bottomless for £15 and enjoy glasses of prosecco, mimosas, Bellinis and Bloody Marys, alongside dishes such as pancakes with berries and maple syrup, the B.V. Breakast (a French take on the classic Full English) or ‘The Morning After’, complete with a juicy steak.
We can definitely see ourselves whiling away a few hours on the classic woven bistro chairs outside – just perfect for people watching (and shipped over specially from Paris!)
Bon Vivant, je t’aime.
