Bustronome is a unique way to experience London; it’s a fine dining restaurant aboard an glass-roofed double-decker bus that makes its way through the city’s iconic sights.
London is a vibrant, exciting city and everytime Chris and I pay it a visit we have a uniquely new experience. On our most recent visit, Chris, Axel and I were traveling with my Mom, who was visiting London for the first time and wanted to soak in the sights. But...when you’re traveling with a toddler, sightseeing can get complicated - how can we get from one attraction to the other, while carrying a tired toddler? And, as we were in London for only a few days, how could we best maximize our time?
Instagram had answers. While looking at how best to explore the city, I did a bit of Instagram stalking and discovered Bustronome, a unique, exciting and convenient way to explore the city. As its name suggests, Bustronome combines a bus which trundles to London’s most famous sites, and a gastronomic experience.
Established in 2014, Bustronome is a double decker bus that has been designed to offer guests the best of London - in just under three hours. It has a glass encased roof that allows you to enjoy the views and an on-board kitchen creating exquisite English and French dishes. As the bus makes its way through London roads, guests can make use of Bustronome’s audio guides to give them more information about popular sights and monuments. It’s basically a really chic tour bus, that wines and dines you all around London!
“Bustronome is basically a really chic tour bus, that wines and dines you all around London!”
All Aboard The Bustronome!
After reading about Bustronome, Chris, my Mom and I, had our excitement and appetites considerably whetted. We gathered at the bus stop and watched as the bus glid to a stop in front of us. As soon as it stopped it rolled out the royal treatment with velvet ropes being opened and the maitre d’ stepping out to greet us; just like we were in a fine dining restaurant.
We made our way to the first floor of the bus, passing the kitchen downstairs which was operating with smooth, calm, efficiency. As we ascended, Axel was immediately drawn to the nearest window (as the whole roof of the bus is glass, essentially everything surrounding us was a window) while we were seated at a prettily decorated table, with special holders to keep the wine from moving around - very important! The staff introduced us to the audiopen recording system, which allowed us to use a pen to point at the map we were given and immediately be immersed in commentary about the history of each monument. Once we and the other guests had oriented ourselves, the bus began to move; we were off!
“We literally drove all over London, pausing briefly at each of London’s iconic monuments like the Westminster Palace, the Tower Bridge and Big Ben. ”
Wining And Dining
We literally drove all over London, pausing briefly at each of London’s iconic monuments like the Westminster Palace, the Tower Bridge and Big Ben.
When we were making our reservation, we were offered the chance to book ourselves a bottle or two of wine - due to British legalities, you can’t actually order wine on board. Of course, we took up the offer and were poured glasses of wine just a few minutes after we got on board. As we made our way through London, we enjoyed sipping on glasses of wine - something you definitely can’t do on an on a foot tour!
We ordered the regular tasting menu and the vegetarian tasting menu, and had it paired with wine. Lunch was a delicious affair with highlights being the velvety goat’s cheese cheesecake and the delicious blackberry and strawberry compote. From the vegetarian menu, I loved the grilled, stuffed courgette with a sweet pepper chutney dressing. Each dish tasted and was plated like it belonged in an upscale restaurant which, we all unanimously agreed, is what Bustronome essentially is.
Suffice to say that along with empty plates, the waiters carried a bounty of compliments from the guests to Chef Sébastien Nicolleau, who heads the kitchen.
“As we made our way through London, we enjoyed sipping on glasses of wine - something you definitely can’t do on an on a foot tour! ”
Bustronome With A Toddler?
Ever since Axel made his way into our lives, we look at our travel through the lens of a toddler, considering how convenient hotels and experiences are for toddlers. Axel was thoroughly excited by Bustronome and spent some happy hours watching cars and people go by from his elevated position! The bus has toilets on board which are available for both adults and children.
However, the bus doesn’t have highchairs for a child, so be sure to bring along some entertainment for your toddler so that, on the off chance that they get bored, they don’t go wandering through the bus.
Bustronome is a great way to explore London, especially when you don’t have time to do it on foot;. Even if you’ve seen London before, Bustronome is a new way to experience the city; simply make a reservation and hop aboard!
For more information on Bustronome, please follow the link below