The back room of Richoux - that counter looks into the kitchen.
What can you tell us about Richoux?
Originally launched as a pâtisserie way back in 1909, Richoux's more recent history was a little more troubled. The French cafe group went through a number of hands before being one of the first major brands to close as a result of pandemic lockdowns. Richoux was relaunched as a restaurant in Piccadilly, but even that only lasted a couple of years. Now with new owners, they're making something of a comeback with this Fitzrovia opening first, to be followed by a second branch in Tower Hill soon.
And how is this new version of Richoux billed?
The new Richoux is being pitched as an all-day restaurant and patisserie, and we'd say it's in the upper-mid end of the market, price-wise. While the focus is on the restaurant and a largely French all-day menu (albeit one which takes its influences from further afield too), cakes still play a big part of the experience here.
This is where you'll find it, less than five minutes from Oxford Circus.
Where is it?
It's in the same building (although a separate entity) as Treehouse London, more or less opposite The Langham (with Oxford Circus the closest tube)
It's taken over what was Pizzeria Mozza and if you ever visited that previous restaurant, you'll see that it still keeps the same overall structure as before, but it's been given a big overhaul. Lots of dark wood and leather upholstery are the order of the day. So it does give off a classic vibe, once you're inside anyway.
The front area of Richoux - more of a bar space.
So what's on the menu?
The all-day offering has a strong French feel, but as mentioned earlier, it occasionally takes its influences further than just across the Channel (the carpaccio being a good example of that). Prices are mid-range, but occasionally tip into the very upper end of that bracket. One example of that is the bread, which is £7.50 for a relatively small 48-hour sourdough loaf. We'd view that as punchy, but we'd say the greater crime is that the bread isn't a simple French baguette (surely a missed opportunity).
We liked the "Whilst you wait" section (although we're not fans of the use of the word "whilst"), which has a few snacks that are ideal to order while you're looking at the rest of the menu. So there are gougeres, Roquefort dip and crudités, but we'd say this is the one to order:
Truffle croque monsieur, with black truffle bechamel, Comte cheese and grated truffle (£14) - pretty much ideal bite-sized snacks.
As for the rest of the main menu, there's a selection of starters, while the rest of the menu is split into salads & sandwiches, flatbreads and more traditional mains. The more French options include boeuf bourgignon (£22), French onion soup (£13), and a simple steak frites for a pretty reasonable £22. On the higher end of the pricing spectrum, you'll find a rack of lamb for £85, but there's also a chicken paillard for £16.50, so the pricing is a little hard to tie down, particularly with dishes like this:
The lobster thermidor - half lobster, bisque bechamel and lemon breadcrumbs. Honestly, it was good, but the £45 for a half lobster seemed on the steep side.
But while the price of that raised an eyebrow or two, elsewhere things seemed a bit more reasonable.
Beautifully presented yellowtail carpaccio, with tomato dressing and pink grapefruit (£16). Not what we'd call a classic French dish, but we'd recommend this.
From the flatbreads section, Gruyère and garlic flatbread with lemon pesto (£10)
The steak frites are a good deal, but this £300g ribeye frites at £45 is a pretty good offering too, for a big, well-cooked piece of steak and decent fries alongside.
And what about dessert?
The dessert part of the menu is where Richoux's pâtisserie roots start to show through, with a genererous selection. There's a "from the counter" selection of cakes (although, to be fair, we didn't work out where the counter was, so didn't know where to look for these. There's also a trolley, with options like chocolate mousse and profiteroles. But the dessert that probably showcases what they're all about was the following:
The Richoux classic assiette (£28), which is essentially a plate of mini cakes including a raspberry roulade, chocolate lime toffee, strawberry basil entremet and pistachio macarons. A nice way to end if you want to swerve a big dessert like we did.
On top of the above, there are two prix fixe options at three courses (and a snack) for £39 or £46, which feels like a pretty decent price. We also like the idea of the "canapé" menu, with three snacks for £12.50 or five for £19.50. That's a pretty handy way to have a few snacks and a drink post-work if you're not up for a full dinner.
Overall thoughts.
Outside of smashburgers and New York pizzas, the other main trend in London seems to be classic French food, so with that in mind, Richoux's return is well timed. Here, they've delivered a decent French bistro for the mid-market, with (in the main) some occasionally very well-priced dishes. We'd say it still needs to zero in on its identity and it could certainly embrace its Frenchness a little more, but even at this early stage, there are signs that this could prove to be a very handy pitstop on this side of town, particularly for canapés and cocktails.
More about Richoux
Where is it? 14-15 Langham Pl, London W1B 2QS
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @richouxrestaurants.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Richoux. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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