Josephine Bouchon

There’s nothing subtle about the wooing process at Josephine Bouchon, a French spot in Chelsea. Heavy, red velvet curtains frame the dining room, even heavier red wines are served to those who clearly have nowhere to be post-lunch, and excellent Lyonnaise-inspired dishes are big on flavour and low on concerns for cholesterol. It’s the perfect place to drop hints about a proposal, or impress a client with a soufflé that’s fluffier than a bichon frisé, or for a special family meal even the most emotionally unavailable of godparents will be charmed by. 

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

On a street of auctioneers and bridal shops, Josephine still manages to have a laid-back buzz about it. Yes, there’s flirty, dangling, low-level lanterns and breathy candle flames. But groups in blazers feel free to create a Jackson Pollock number on white tablecloths with emerald green splatters from tasty, buttery frogs legs. Small bowls of le graton—a snack of pork and duck scratchings—arrive with baskets of bread and offers of champagne. And waiters banter with a dressed-up couple as they whip out an old-school, wooden ruler, measuring how much is left in the bottle of house wine, and charging for what’s been drunk. While sharing plates might be served in casserole dishes, family-style, like at home, the mustardy tarragon sauce on rabbit is beyond anything we’ve whipped up from a Schwartz sauce packet. 

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

There are no bad seats, although the darker, moodier nook at the back of the dining room is particularly lovely for dates. But wherever you sit, thoughtful touches are noticeable throughout the restaurant—a scarlet J on plates, old framed maps, ‘Josephine’ embroidered into linen curtains—like intimate, hidden love notes. Between this storybook-level of charm and the rich, decadent dishes, Josephine has us feeling like a giddy, lovestruck main character. 

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Saint-Félicien Cheese Soufflé

Like having a little cloud in your mouth, but one that’s made of cheese rather than water and is a promising golden colour rather than a bleak, ominous grey. This soufflé is our favourite starter. It’s silky smooth, and has a good hit of strong, nutty cheese.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

French Rabbit, Mustard & Tarragon Sauce

The rabbit is nicely cooked, but the sauce really makes this dish. It’s tangy and creamy, and each forkful should have some of it spooned over first.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Rotisserie Chicken, Salad & Potatoes

This dish comes closest to something you might replicate at home. Smashed, crispy new potatoes and a simple salad with a pleasant dressing and bitter greens come with a juicy chicken. It’s very tasty and wholesome, but if you want wow-factor you won’t get it in this comforting, familiar dish.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Pommes Duchesse

In a comparison that will offend French people everywhere—these potatoes taste like tater tots that have had the ultimate glow-up. They’re puréed first which makes them smooth and creamy, and then they’re baked which gives the whole thing a lovely, crispy outer shell. We could throw these back like popcorn.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Brioche & Morteau Sausage, Red Wine Sauce

You can mix and match from the set menu and a la carte, and we’d dip into the set menu just to get this. Know that it’s very decadent, so we liked it best as a starter to share. It’s a loaf of brioche that’s been baked with a whole sausage inside it and then sliced. One thick, doorstop slice ends up on your plate in a beaujolais sauce that’s so rich and glossy we wanted to ask it for life and skincare advice.