Tucked away in the heart of Marylebone, the second outpost of Josephine announces its presence on Blandford Street in a flurry of creams and reds. After the success of the first Josephine in Chelsea, which has just celebrated its first anniversary, founders Claude and Lucy Bosi have branched into the heart of London with their second restaurant, its interior doused in effortless French chic.
The mood: bistro chic
Much like the original outpost, which was named after Claude’s grandmother, Josephine Marylebone offers colloquial French dining in a setting that draws on a traditional Lyonnais aesthetic. The interiors, as for the first outpost, were designed by Fabled Studio.
Expect burgundy red leather seats, tiled flooring, antique mirrors and dark wood panelling, while warm ambient lighting adds a friendly and intimate glow.
The London-based design studio evoked the romance of Parisian bistros, but the attention to detail is captivating; artwork is scattered throughout, and even extends to hand-painted ceilings.
The thoughtfully selected works are inspired by Impressionist artists such as Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
The Bosis themselves, a husband-and-wife duo, also add to the inviting atmosphere. When we visited, they were in the midst of applying finishing touches before the restaurant's official opening, but remained calm throughout the last-minute busy-ness.
Claude, standing relaxed and confident amidst the final preparations, told us, ‘Creating a menu can be a challenging task, we want to offer guests some of the dishes they love from Josephine Chelsea but still allow Marylebone to have its own identity. It’s challenging opening a restaurant, finding the right team and fitting into a new area; there are so many great restaurants in [Marylebone] and we hope we will fit alongside them nicely.’
The food: Lyonnais leanings
The menu offers an array of French classics with a nod to Bosi’s Lyonnais heritage including soufflé au camembert and escargots à l'ail to start. Main dishes include an array of seafood, from freshly shucked oysters, homard mayonnaise, langoustines, and crevettes roses. Pâté en croûte and steak tartare are also on offer, alongside mains of filet de bœuf and poulet aux morille.
Asked for his own favourite dish, Claude said, ‘It’s hard to choose when you create a menu, you would hope to love it all – it’s a bit like choosing one of your favourite children; I have a favourite but I can’t tell you!’
We are drawn to the carefully crafted Pommes de Terre menu, which celebrates the versatility of the humble potato, from a pomme purée, to frites and a dauphinois.
Claude's ambition for this new Josephine? ‘The best feeling is when you see diners at the front desk booking a return visit on their way out; if we can do that, I’ll be very happy.’
Josephine Marylebone is now open, 6-8 Blandford St, London W1U 4AU, josephinebistro.com
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