As the golden orb sank below the horizon, you could almost touch the collective awe. Gazing out over London as the last rays relinquished their hold on the city, I felt a kinship with everyone in Skygarden plastered to the western windows. We were being treated to a spectacular show… and it wasn’t over yet.
Walkie-Talkie hiding in amongst the more classic City buildings
Our good friend Lucy was visiting from New Zealand and Anna was determined to show off the best of London. A not-so-subtle marketing campaign, designed to lure Lucy to come visit, permanently! SkyGarden at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street (more commonly known as the Walkie-Talkie building) furnished a flawless start. Feelings about the building seem to range from mild approval to active hatred – it has just been voted the winner of the Carbuncle Cup, which seeks out the UK’s worst building. Its other newsworthy escapade has been melting parked cars in the summer, a side-effect that anyone who played with a magnifying glass as a child might have been able to predict. But once you’re inside it and rocketing up to the 35th floor, all thoughts of its exterior appearance fade, and are then banished entirely by the views from the top.
I am a bit of a connoisseur of London views, although I admit to not having yet auctioned a kidney in exchange for the price of admission to the Top of the Shard. I’d rather spend the money on a sumptuous brunch or cocktails down at AquaShard instead! While the height of SkyGarden is similar to the bars at the Shard, you are able to walk around for a 360 degree view of London. And what a view it is.
We had a restaurant booking at Darwin bistro, which meant we could bypass the queue that was forming fast on a Friday night and, after a brief security scan, head straight for the top. Pro tip: you can arrive well before the time of your table booking (I was nearly an hour early) and still skip the queue – handy! However, you can also book free entry tickets for during the day, or take your chance when heading to the bar at night.
While I waited for the rest of my group, I took the time to drink in the views in every direction. I spotted my favourite church, the private dining rooms in the Gherkin that had housed my work Christmas party, and even saw the Tower Bridge open – great success! When the rest of the group joined me, we started with a cocktail at the bar. They were suitably floral, in keeping with the garden theme, and totally delicious. A live band added a special touch, and we took another promenade around and admired the beautiful sunset before taking our seats in the bistro.
The guest of honour Lucy, and myself
The cocktails had tantalised our tastebuds and the meals followed suit. I had a scrumptious piece of salmon, paired with grilled aubergine, a vegetable I’m fond of but had never had in this combination. It was a total win. Of course, I couldn’t resist some chunky fries, which were also very tasty. Our attentive waitress was even able to tempt me to dessert, which doesn’t often happen, as she’d already enquired with the chef what they could offer to my lactose-intolerant self. Succumbing was proven to be the right option, as I quickly polished off a delicious peach and coconut icecream concoction. Overall, and given the stunning location, I thought it was great value for money, particularly with the subtle and thoughtful service.
We drank in our last glimpses of the view before floating down to ground level. Step 1 of Campaign Tempt Lucy To London… I hope a success!
Have you visited SkyGarden, or is there a similar building in your city?
