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Josephine Bouchon, named for Chef Claude Bosi's grandmother, opened in January 2024, capping off a busy 18 months that also included opening Brooklands by Claude Bosi at The Peninsula London and Socca in Mayfair, in addition to running his eponymous two-Michelin-starred Claude Bosi at Bibendum.
Josephine Bouchon Location and Hours
Josephine Bouchon is situated in Chelsea at 315 Fulham Road. It's open daily for lunch from 12 noon to 2:30pm (until 3pm on weekends) and for dinner 5:30-9:30pm. Reservations can be made via the Web site.
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Josephine Bouchon Menu and Food
We had an early dinner, and arrived a couple minutes before the restaurant opened. We were happy to be given a corner table, at the end of a number of tables that, as in French bistro tradition, were spaced far too tightly.
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The menu offers a number of classic bistro dishes among its starters and mains, from frog legs and country terrine to duck leg confit and veal sweetbread with morel mushroom sauce. There's also a well-priced “menu de canut” prix fixe of either two courses for GBP 24.50 or three courses for GBP 29.50.
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We (especially my hungry teen) enjoyed snacking on the duck and pork cracklings, as well as fresh baguette brought to the table.
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We took advantage of the two-course prix fixe to try the Quenelle de brochet avec sauce Nantua (pike mousse with langoustine sauce), which was excellent: a delicate fish mousse with a decadent lobster-like sauce.
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My teen's starter, the Souffle au Saint-Felicien, was sublime: a light, cheesy cloud of deliciousness. Cheese lovers should absolutely start with this dish.
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I was far less impressed with the Saucisson Brioche with red wine sauce, because the sauce was very one dimensional and too salty, and wouldn't recommend it. I might try the boudin noir with apple and mashed potato next time, were I to do the prix fixe.
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The veal sweetbread with morel mushroom sauce, however, was another winner. My teen soaked up every last drop of the incredible sauce with baguette.
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By this point I was too full to try dessert, but my son forged ahead with the French cheese plate. For anyone looking to fill up their cheese-loving dining partner, this is a must-order, since you are given the entire cheese plate for a few minutes to serve yourself, before the staff remove it. This suited my teen perfectly, since he dislikes blue cheeses and favors the creamier ones. The Saint-Felicien, which was used in the souffle we liked so much, made its encore (it's in the ramekin on the lower left).
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The Verdict
Josephine Bouchon is a cozy, old-school French bistro with tables that are too close together, flickering candles, and unapologetically French classics that care nothing about your cholesterol levels or waistline. Highlights for us were the Saint-Felicien cheese souffle, the pike mousse with langoustine sauce, and the veal sweetbread with morel mushroom sauce.
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