Bring On the Skylon (SE1 8XX)
Skylon at Royal Festival Hall
Skylon
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There could be no better treat than watching a winter afternoon fade over the Thames from a table at Skylon. The multitude of issues the restaurant faced after opening have also faded, and the result is an excellent dining experience.
I recently went with two colleagues after avoiding the restaurant when it opened in March because of poor - no, ghastly - reviews.
And while the space is still a bit loud, that was really our only complaint. Of course, the three-course menu has also increased in price almost £10 since opening, but if that has brought the improvements, then it's well worth it.
After being given a table by the window (a nice surprise since we hadn't requested it), we started our afternoon of leisurely dining, assisted by the friendly, helpful staff. We were even visited by the Finnish chef, who'd been summoned by a Finnish-speaker in our group so he could get some practice.
We were pleased with our starters (two of us had crab and the third had the interesting and very successful combination of squid and ham). Even the herbed bread was delicious enough for seconds.
For mains we had the signature halibut with artichokes (perfect), the lamb (a few too few vegetables but otherwise good) and another interesting combo of pork belly with lobster (a few too few bites of lobster but again, very good).
Desert also didn't disappoint, with two of us going basic (bread and butter pudding, which was small, elegant and fabulous) and the third making up for it with Crepes Suzette (prepared at the table and as good as she'd hoped).
Three hours, eight petits fours and £200 later we left, very satisfied and not alarmingly full.
But maybe that's what happens when lunch takes up a whole afternoon.
And while the space is still a bit loud, that was really our only complaint. Of course, the three-course menu has also increased in price almost £10 since opening, but if that has brought the improvements, then it's well worth it.
After being given a table by the window (a nice surprise since we hadn't requested it), we started our afternoon of leisurely dining, assisted by the friendly, helpful staff. We were even visited by the Finnish chef, who'd been summoned by a Finnish-speaker in our group so he could get some practice.
We were pleased with our starters (two of us had crab and the third had the interesting and very successful combination of squid and ham). Even the herbed bread was delicious enough for seconds.
For mains we had the signature halibut with artichokes (perfect), the lamb (a few too few vegetables but otherwise good) and another interesting combo of pork belly with lobster (a few too few bites of lobster but again, very good).
Desert also didn't disappoint, with two of us going basic (bread and butter pudding, which was small, elegant and fabulous) and the third making up for it with Crepes Suzette (prepared at the table and as good as she'd hoped).
Three hours, eight petits fours and £200 later we left, very satisfied and not alarmingly full.
But maybe that's what happens when lunch takes up a whole afternoon.
Here Is The Writer : Sarah Western
Sarah Western Balzer is the managing director of HITC Life and is always on the hunt for reader-writers, so if you're one, make yourself known (sarah.western@hereisthecity.com). Sarah's other job is running a business that helps expats with lifestyle relocation, and is always on the hunt for clients, so - you guessed it: www.arrivalslimited.com. Sarah moved to London five years ago from New York but is originally from Florida, and still suntans like it's 1989. She is so grateful to the banker who introduced her to Here Is The City that she married him, and they live in Wapping with their son.
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