Alex: Having only a few days in the wonderful city of London, meant I was scarce with time and really had to do my research to find more than good quality pub food that we all know London has. Don’t get me wrong, I made sure to fit one of those in on my hectic 2 nights, but I wanted something that I was going to remember forever.
The shard is London’s tallest building with 87 stories and only opened in 2013. The restaurant inside is situated on the 31st floor and offers undeniably some of the best views of London. My months of research gave us one of the best seats at Aqua Shard which is known for it’s innovative & contemporary British cuisine.
I wanted to book the restaurant so we had enough time to enjoy a bit of the food, have a drink and then before our mains arrived, watch the sun go down. Let’s just say that my timing is perfect and a what a beautiful night it was. We’ll get back to the view further down!
As we perused the menu we were brought a very large, decent serving of sourdough bread. Ear shatteringly crisp and fluffy in the middle. The butter also came to the table warm which is always gets extra points. Nobody wants to struggle putting butter on bread! #firstworldproblems
Sometimes listening to my friend Michael turns out to be a good thing because he decided we share the Smoked Tuna, thinly sliced and seasoned with maldon salt scented with yuzu, foie gras chattily, soya caramel, frozen figs £15.00. Most of you might know by now, that me and fish don’t really click but since my travels I’ve become quite a lover of mussels and some different types of fish, so I actually really enjoyed this! Each layer of thinly sliced salmon was packed with flavour. Each bite remained light, especially if you were planning on eating a lot. Something like this is perfect because it didn’t feel heavy on the stomach.
I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t pick the best main of the night. Sticky Beef Short-rib with aromatic mayonnaise, pearl barley, onion cornflakes and lemon skin purée £36 What an amazing combination of flavours. Texturally, each element worked well with the next, from the melt in your mouth short rib to the crunch of the onion corn flakes. The caramelisation on the short rib was out of this world. The serving was quite small but the beef was so rich that it was just enough to leave feeling fat, happy and content 🙂
My other travel buddy Frank ordered the Twice roasted Blythburgh belly of free range pork with endive and english mustard cream, peppered parsnips, cavalo nero and orange jus. £27. Another winner. Sometimes pork can have a bit too much fat especially when it’s not rendered well but this was just right. The orange jus gave a nice and aromatic sweetness the dish, and really helped to lift the flavours of the pork.
Michael decided to stick with fish for the rest of the night and ordered the Roasted Halibut with nettle purée, smoked sausage, steamed clams and charred leaks £34 Definitely my least favourite of the night, but only because the other two were complete knock-outs.
As a side we ordered the poached and roasted pink fir potatoes with flour de sel and maple syrup. £6.50. I love potatoes, I mean really, who doesn’t, and I can finally say that these were some of the best tasting potatoes EVER! The maple syrup gave a sweetness to this dish and lifted it to a whole new level. Amazing.
I’d be lying if I said this was one of the best night’s of the trip. I mean just look at the view. Aqua Shard also has a bar that you can sit and enjoy drink after drink and just soak in that view.
I’m normally a chocolate man but feeling adventurous I ordered David’s Mess – Guava Sorbet, fresh raspberry, vanilla chantilly £8 I wish I knew how to put videos in this post because you can actually hear my excited laugh as I cracked through the meringue like sphere and saw all the elements inside.
The dessert was sweet but the guava sorbet aided in balancing that sweetness out. I was in heaven for a good 20 minutes after I finished this.
We didn’t leave the restaurant till about midnight because we stayed for a drinks after dinner and then boom we saw the Tower Bridge looking immaculate as it was lit up.
The last night in London’s was definitely a night to cherish forever. I’ll be back, don’t you worry.
The european adventure will continue soon!
Until next time
Alex
What an amazing place & what an awesome experience, well chosen it definitely is an experience that you won’t forget for all three of you. In one word spectacular !!!!
What an incredible view! And the food looks as good as the view too 😀 I hadn’t heard of this place before but it looks well worth a visit and it has been far too long between trips to London.
Looks amazing! The view and food!!
That David’s mess though!
Oh my gosh that sweet guava sorbet looks so good!
What an amazing view and there perfect place for a lingering dinner in London! I think you definitely made the right choice with your limited time in the city.