At the end of Pelham Street Mr Monkey arrived at Bibendum. This is one of the earliest reinforced concrete building in London, built in 1909-11 as the British head office of the Michelin Tyre Company, and is now a restaurant and oyster bar. Mr Monkey let his humans have a light snack in the coffee bar in the lobby of Bibendum, and admired the coffee cups. The 'real' name of the Michelin Man is Bibendum, derived from the earliest adverts he appeared in which used the Latin line "Nunc est Bibendum" or "Now is the time to drink".
You can read about the restaurant at the Bibendum website and about the history of M. Bibendum at the Michelin website.
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey. This page last modified 4th February 2008