Have you ever taken one of those tours on a bus around London to learn more about the London’s famous buildings and landmarks but always ended up being a bit peckish? Then Bustronome is the perfect choice as not only will you be able to take in the London surroundings and learn historical facts but you’ll also be able to enjoy a lovely 4 course lunch, or an afternoon tea or even a gastronomic 6 course dinner with a wine flight if you wanted. Think of it as a traditional tour combined with an upscale dining experience.
I had the pleasure of jumping on board along with some other community members of Love Pop Ups London to enjoy a complimentary dining experience in the evening where we dined on 6 luxurious dishes all whilst taking in the sights of London at night.
Bustronome
Bustronome opened up it’s doors to their double deck bus giving diners a panoramic view and a gastronomic dining journey whilst on the move back in 2017 in France where diners could learn more about Paris, whilst taking in views and indulging on a culinary lunch, afternoon tea or dinner.
Late 2018 Bustronome opened it’s doors to diners to enjoy a journey to discover London whilst eating gastronomic delights be it a lunch, afternoon tea or dinner.
A 360° panoramic terrace
The upper deck gives diners an amazing view, sheltered from adverse weather. You’ll discover beautiful views of London, including it’s squares, avenues and landmarks.
The best of English gastronomy with a French twist
From 4 to 6 courses, the chefs will have diners taste the best seasonal products. Savour the finest cuisine during a real gourmet escapade!
A great sense of comfort
On this state -of-the-art bus, which adapts to every road imperfection, it will allow all diners to fully enjoy every course.
Musical atmosphere
A musical program carefully selected allows to discover eclectic music and emphasise the feeling of well-being.
A guided tour of London!
A totally new, innovative concept offers individuals multilingual comments (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese) during the visit via an audio pen which will be the guide for the tour diners can listen at their own leisure to learn the secrets of London’s famous landmarks.
In a nutshell the unrivalled combination between beauty and leisure on board this luxury bus-restaurant will provide an extraordinary experience ready to awaken your senses. Simply put, passengers on board will discover the most beautiful views of London while enjoying the best of its gastronomy.
Bustronome London tour
Dining on the move
Arriving at bus stop 40b in Victoria Embankment (near Embankment train station) anticipation was building for us all.
When the bus arrived our eyes lit up and mouths dropped as the bus looked stunning and very special. It is a black double-decker, with a subtle gold livery and a panoramic glass roof, which made it stand out from any other bus.
Once stepping on board I was delighted to be able to see the open space kitchen with plates at the ready for the chef to start creating and serving up his culinary delights.
Going on up the stairs I was highly surprised when I saw the 38 seated glassed panoramic upper deck. The whole area felt like a real restaurant with it’s wood-panelled floor, soft comfy neutral coloured seats and low lighting making it feel like a very classy restaurant.
Once we were shown to our allocated table and given a glass of champagne via our waiter Jerome we knew this was going to be a journey like no other around London.
The tables have an illuminated shaped custom-made stand to hold drinking glasses and a slot for an audio pen.
The menus on our tables double upped as a map which showed the route we were taking and images of buildings and landmarks which we will be discovering on our journey. Each photo had a gold dot which had an embedded sensor which when touched with the audio pen commentary will be played through the pen. I felt a bit like a magician with magical speaking wand.
We started from Embankment, which we travelled over Tower Bridge, passed the London Eye and took in many other iconic sites upon our gastronomic journey. You would think that someone likes me who travels into London practically everyday would be bored of viewing London’s surroundings and landmarks but the illuminated castle walls of the Tower of London, the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral and the lit up London Eye never gets boring as after all they are some of England’s national treasures which brings tourists from far away to London.
Also I was surprised to learn some interesting facts which I never knew such as:
- The Royal Courts of Justice – Did you know that the corridors span over 35km!
- St Paul’s Cathedral – Did you know it took 33 years to construct St Paul’s.
- The Shard – Did you know it is 310 metres high.
- Tower Bridge – Did you know that it takes 90 seconds for the bridge to open fully.
I won’t reveal anymore interesting facts as you will just have to take a journey yourself with Bustronome.
Upon our journey and learning all these different interesting facts about London’s surroundings we were provided a six course meal throughout.
Gastronomic culinary journey
Firstly we enjoyed some mini bruschetta canapes which were topped with some diced olives. I am not an olive lover but it did taste really good with it’s bitterness and hint of saltiness.
Now it was time for the culinary six course menu.
Salmon ceviche in coconut milk with lime, coriander, Goji berries and cocoa nibs
It’s supposed to be mackerel but I don’t like mackerel so I was provided salmon instead. The salmon was succulent and the creamy coconut milk with lime made this dish a delight. I especially loved the cocoa nibs which gave it that little extra crunch and a slight bitterness.
Raw and cooked asparagus with quails egg and parmesan
The raw and cooked asparagus was a delight. Tasted really fresh and they had a lovely crunch to them. I especially loved the Parmesan crisp. I did not have the egg served with my dish though as I can’t eat them but my friends who joined me on the night said the egg was divine and cooked to perfection.
Jumbo prawns, cauliflower risotto with white chocolate and verjuice
The prawn was massive and I thought it might be chewy but to my surprise it was not as it was very succulent. The cauliflower risotto was a real treat and surprise as was very creamy and soft and the white chocolate gave it that extra rich creaminess and the verjuice with it’s acidness and sour-sweet taste was a delight when combined with the cauliflower risotto giving it that extra different taste of sharpness.
Venison, celery pont neuf and dry cranberry, chocolate sauce
The venison was cooked to perfection (slightly pink) and my knife cut through it like butter. It was flavoursome and the chocolate cranberry and chocolate sauce gave it that extra tanginess.
Goats cheese with honey and fresh pear
This dish did not just look stunning but tasted exceptional. Sometimes the simplest of things is the most tasty. The goats cheese was smooth, creamy and very tasty. The honey and fresh pear gave the whole dish another edge with the sweetness of the honey and pear.
Bustronome Easter Egg
This was certainly different. The quenelle of milk chocolate was a creamy delight set on a cake of cereal crispies which literally popped in my mouth giving my taste buds an unusual sensation. The two textures worked a treat. It was a bit like eating a Toffee Crisp but with melted chocolate. I would certainly choose this over any Easter Egg any day.
It is amazing to know that all the meals are cooked, produced and beautifully presented all in such small kitchen downstairs by chef JD.
All the dishes were exceptional. My favourite has to be the jumbo prawn as I loved the cauliflower risotto and whole presentation of the dish. The menu changes approximately every six to eight weeks keeping the menu seasonal.
Verdict
This was a tour of London like no other. I was highly delighted by the surroundings, facts of London, staff and the six course feast.
The only downside to this tour has to be the traffic and when we went along there were some protests happening in London so we did not follow the route precisely to what was on our map but then this is London so that is to be expected. There is also quite a number of stops and starts due to the traffic, so potential jolts. Thankfully the custom cutlery is designed to be held in place by magnets and the stand keeps the glasses in place, so no worry of anything spilling if there is any major emergency stops or jolts. However Adnan drove steadily throughout the night never causing any major jolts or surprises.
This tour will make anyone be it if you’re a Londoner or a tourist fall in love with London and food.
Which London landmark would you most like to see?
All aboard the Bustronome!
Booking is required. Book in advance via clicking here.
Location
Victoria Embankment, London, WC2N 6PB
Nearest station London Embankment, or Charing Cross.
Bus stop 40B just outside London Embankment
Dining options
The whole culinary journey lasts 2 hours and 45 minutes tour
Lunch at 12:15pm
Lunch – beverage included – £85
4 courses tasting menu with beverages pairing
Lunch – £65
4 dishes menu : 2 starters, fish dish as main course and a dessert
Children lunch – £40
3 dishes menu adapted for our young rubberneck of the London evening going on a ride to re-discover London
Afternoon Tea at 3pm
Afternoon Tea – £60
Tour and gourmet Afternoon Tea including selection of savoury and sweet petits fours, scones together with a selection of tea
Afternoon Tea Champagne – £72
Afternoon Tea with a Champagne flute
Child Afternoon Tea – £35
Children Afternoon Tea
Dinner at 7.15pm
Dinner Full wine pairing – £150
6 courses tasting menu with beverages pairing including 1 glass of Champagne and 4 glass of wine
Dinner Beverages included – £135
6 courses tasting menu with beverages pairing including 1 glass of Champagne and 2 glass of wine
Dinner – £105
6 dishes menu 2 starters, fish dish and meat dish as main courses, cheese and dessert
Children diner – £50
3 dishes menu adapted for our young rubberneck of the London evening
Thank you Bustronome for a great tour of London and a gastronomic journey. I was invited down courtesy of Bustronome along with some other community members . All views are my own honest opinion.
Click below to read other’s blogs who came along with me to board Bustronome. All their are of their own honest opinion.
“I love going out discovering new and existing restaurants, theatres, immersive experiences and so much more but I also love staying in and discovering new gadgets, gaming and cooking.
