‘Living our best lives’ – Henry Harris on the success of Bouchon Racine
Henry Harris simply knows what works.
The experienced chef and restaurateur has resisted any temptations to move away from a formula he has become expert at – classic French cooking.
Initially training at Leith’s School of Food and Wine in 1983, Henry immediately found his passion was soon in a working kitchen, namely Hilaire with Simon Hopkinson.
Henry went on to work at Bibendum and Harvey Nichols, before deciding to go it alone and open the hugely popular Racine in Knightsbridge in 2002.
There he stayed until 2013, taking a break from the day-to-day of kitchen life, swapping it for some consultancy and chef director work, overseeing various projects.
But, in 2022, he was bitten by the bug again and teamed up with restaurant director Dave Strauss to bring Racine (the French word for ‘root’) back to life, in a new form.
They opened Three Compasses pub in Farringdon, with Bouchon Racine above it, with its ever-changing menus and crowd-pleasing dishes.
The restaurant, inspired by the bouchons of Lyon and bistros of Paris, instantly received attention and accolades, through to 2026, where it was voted number one in the National Restaurant Awards, which features a judging panel of food writers, chefs and restaurateurs.
The award listing stated: “What is most charming about Bouchon Racine is the manner in which it has come about. (They) opened the restaurant on a shoestring, without the employment of a PR machine to launch it and with much of the refurb done themselves.
“The downstairs pub Three Compasses remains just that, a boozer for the after-work crowd, while the upstairs restaurant feels like a secret dining room (albeit a terribly kept secret) that whisks you away from London to the back streets of France.
“You might never want to leave.”
The birth of Bouchon Racine
“When we opened both Racine and Bouchon Racine, it turned out there was still an undiscovered hunger for good bourgeois French cooking, and the restaurant became very busy and very successful almost overnight,” Henry told The Staff Canteen.
“The food is unashamedly French, as it was at the original Racine.
“There are strong family influences. I grew up in a food-loving household, and France was an obsession for all of us.
“Back in 2002, I thought, just give myself the constraint of one cuisine.
“I'd previously done that whole modern British movement, where you'd have British, French, Spanish, Italian, Thai and Szechuan virtually all on the same menu, and everyone would think you were really clever.
“Real cleverness is limiting yourself and specialising in something - the best restaurants are always the ones that focus on one thing. I said, right, that's how to do it, and did it.
“With Bouchon Racine, that's exactly what happened again, but I made it even more focused. I'd say it's 90% Lyonnaise in style, with a little bit here and there from other regions of France."
He continued: "Bouchon Racine is a real evolution of the original Racine.
“As fond and proud as I am of the original, this is the greatest thing Dave Strauss and I have created between us. It's unique.
“It's 38 covers, 11 tables. You've got one patron serving the tables and one patron cooking your meal. We're doing it on our terms, and we're living our best lives.”
Dave Strauss’s involvement with Bouchon Racine
Co-owner Dave Strauss spent time working in the United States, before moving to the UK. Since, he has been part of the opening team for Burger & Lobster, and served as restaurant director across Mitch Tonks’s Rockfish restaurants.
“We knew of each other, but that was it,” Dave explained, discussing his relationship with Henry.
“After Henry did Sunday lunch at the Dartmouth Food Festival - I was working for Mitch at the time - we were both stood outside afterwards. It had been a long lunch, and we were just talking about what we were going to do next in our careers.
“I was leaving Mitch and Henry wasn't working, and we realised we both wanted to do the same thing.
“We were both almost 60 at the time, so we didn't have a tremendous amount of time to make decisions and find the right location.
“We took a punt on this location, and it couldn't really have worked out any better for us - it sets itself up to be a little French restaurant.
“Henry's food came back at a time when London was really ready to eat like this again."
What is on the menu at Bouchon Racine?
The menu includes dishes like veal chop, calf brain, chicken liver pâté and the renowned crème caramel.
“There's an awful lot of social media of Henry's wobbling caramels,” said Dave.
“You can't come to Bouchon Racine and not have a crème caramel.
“It's something everybody seems to enjoy. It's one of those rare desserts that isn't polarising at all.
“A lot of great French chefs come in, like Raymond Blanc for example, and it's just that really simple, but quite special, end to the meal.”
Henry added: “It’s become world famous. We really do get people from all over the world saying, is the crème caramel on? Do I need to reserve it?
“I've never had a better crème caramel - I'm very proud of it.”
Why does Bouchon Racine not have a Michelin star?
Despite regularly placing highly in the National Restaurant Awards, Bouchon Racine does not hold a Michelin star.
"We get asked a lot why we don't have a star in the Michelin Guide, or why they've ignored us,” Henry said.
“Michelin haven't ignored us - we're in the guide and they say lovely things about us.
“We're the only restaurant in the top 10 of the National Restaurant Awards that doesn't have one, two or three Michelin stars. Does that keep us awake at night? No.
“I wonder if there's an inconsistency to how I cook. I believe the unpublished criteria for getting a star in the Michelin Guide requires a level of consistency.
“Of course it has to be good cooking, but delivered in a very uniform way, and I think I cook in too organic a way.”
‘Best moment of my career’
For both Henry and Dave, being crowned the number one restaurant in the UK was certainly a career highlight.
“We've been going to the awards ever since we opened, and we've been lucky enough to be in the top four or five,” said Dave.
“That was always more than enough - you can't ask for more than that.
“But you always see the teams that win it and wonder what it would be like.
“Now we know exactly what it feels like, because it was such a surprise. You see the names being read out and you think, these are restaurants you love, I can't believe we're in this company.
“Henry said it was the highlight of his career. It's definitely the highlight of my career.
“It makes your family proud, it makes the regulars proud, the staff was proud. It was quite a surprising, special feeling - amazing."
The future of Bouchon Racine
As for the future, the message from both Dave and Henry is clear – keep doing what they’re doing.
“This works well for us, and we've got the pub downstairs too, which keeps us busy,” said Henry.
“Why change what works brilliantly and what makes us happy?
"I come out of the train station every morning, I see the front of Bouchon, and I smile, and I look forward to opening the front door.”
Dave added: “We realise what we've got, and we just want to hold on to it for as long as we possibly can."
Bouchon Racine: key facts
Chefs/owners: Henry Harris and Dave Strauss
Restaurant: Bouchon Racine, above the Three Compasses pub, Farringdon
Cuisine: bourgeois/Lyonnaise-leaning French
Opened: 2022
Covers: 38 across 11 tables, two sittings for lunch and dinner
Award: named the UK's best restaurant at the National Restaurant Awards 2026
Michelin: listed in the Michelin Guide, no star
Signature dishes: crème caramel, calf's brain with black butter and capers, chicken liver pâté, rabbit with mustard, veal chop
Henry's career: Leith's School of Food and Wine (1983), Hilaire, Bibendum, Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor, Racine, Knightsbridge (2002-2013)
Dave's career: restaurants in the United States, opening team at Burger & Lobster, restaurant director across Mitch Tonks's restaurants
For 18 years, The Staff Canteen has been the meeting place for chefs and hospitality professionals—your stories, your skills, your space.
Every recipe, every video, every news update exists because this community makes it possible.
We’ll never hide content behind a paywall, but we need your help to keep it free.
If The Staff Canteen has inspired you, informed you, or simply made you smile, chip in £3—less than a coffee—to keep this space thriving.
Together, we keep the industry connected. Together, we move forward.
Support Us
CONTRIBUTE
‘Living our best lives’ – Henry Harris on the success of Bouchon Racine
