Simon Hopkinson

In November 1987 the restaurant Bibendum opened with enough media hyperbole to inflate the jolly Michelin man into a balloon the size of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. The difference on this occasion was that the razzle-dazzle had substance. Here was a place that added a new dimension to the accepted assumptions and definitions of what constitutes top-drawer eating out in London.

For a start, one shibboleth to be dismantled was the synonymity of decor and designer-food. Ambiance was removed from the plate and returned to the walls and furnishings in a manner that has reenergized the luxury restaurant by burying the clichés of swags and festoons, pastels and pomp. Sir Terence Conran’s design is modern and invites fun rather than gastronomic worship, while, at the same time, maintaining a scrupulous and inventive sympathy with historical roots. The ubiquitous presence of Monsieur Bibendum is reflected with wit on stained glass, vases, decanters and ashtrays. However, Conran’s singular achievement lies in the translation of his natural grasp of what good restaurants need to provide for the enjoyment of good food beyond a unique environment. He understands the importance of comfort, space and light. At Bibendum the ceilings are high and the atmosphere up-beat but the tables are cut low and you sink into moulded armchairs which embrace you with bonhomie.