Generally speaking, most restaurants that boast astonishing views put less effort into the food. Why bother with impeccable bread, usually the first point of reference when sitting down to dine, when diners are greeted with a panoramic scene of the London skyline. This is a folly: a good restaurant should and must do both. But then countless British diners care more about the ‘gram; their appetite for likes outweighs their appetite for flavour.
Still, this arduous rule is broken some of the time. The restaurants here manage the tricky balancing act of blending fine eating with fine views. In Endo at the Rotunda, we find arguably London’s best sushi “in the clouds” of White City; at Hutong at the Shard, solid northern Chinese classics near the summit of one of Europe’s tallest buildings; at Rick Stein’s place in Barnes, riverside views, where you might share fish with a heron.
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High and Lucky Cat
The rather clever trick at 22 Bishopsgate, in which both Lucky Cat and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High sit, is that from their windows the Shard across the river looks rather puny, though it is in fact taller. London’s undulations are in its favour. Lucky Cat and RGR High share the 60th floor and from both the views are beyond spectacular — perhaps the finest of any in the capital. There is not a London icon that cannot be seen: it is the sort of scope that might open a movie. Food is markedly different between the two. At the 12-seater RGR High, it is extraordinarily detailed French-leaning fine dining, at a steep price; it is, for most of us, an occasion restaurant, perhaps a one-off. Lucky Cat is somewhere one could be a regular: here there is what the group calls “Asian-inspired” food, drawing mostly on Japan and Korea. Expect a fine array of sushi and sashimi, dumplings and bao, and other bits like simply-grilled fish. Three tasting menus are offered for the inquisitive or indecisive, running from £80 to £130. Cocktails are a little pricey, but there’s wine from a reasonable £9.50 a glass.
22 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4BQ, gordonramsayrestaurants.com
Sam’s Riverside
Sam’s Riverside is a little unfortunate in that it’s sandwiched between the famous River Cafe and the becoming famous Crisp W6 pizzeria. Still, it deserves its own acclaim, in part thanks to the parmesan churros, these best enjoyed with a vodka martini. As for the regular menu, it’s a polished, considered and traditional take on modern British dining. Think scallops with ‘nduja, hake with beurre blanc and samphire, and rack of lamb with carrots and mint jus. Some might find this a little dated, but it must work to the well-heeled of Hammersmith and Barnes for whom money is less of a transgression. Above all else, it’s a lovely local bistro with stunning views of the river and nearby parkland.
1 Crisp Road, W6 9DN, samsriverside.co.uk
Endo at the Rotunda
There is a strong argument behind the claim that Endo at the Rotunda is London’s best place to eat sushi. Endo Kazutoshi, a craftsman who has been central to the city’s upmarket sushi boom, presents diners with an omakase that is equal parts elaborate and refined, one that combines the finest seafood from Britain with that of Japan. Endo is eccentric, too: he allows no phones and asks guests to remove large items of jewellery once they’re seated at the counter. It’s food as theatre – the delicate and quite rare occurrence whereby people are invited to connect with the person feeding them.
8th Floor, The Helios, Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, W12 7FR, endoatrotunda.com
City Social
One of the last remaining restaurants from Jason Atherton’s heyday — before his recent comeback with Sael and the truly stunning Row On 5 — City Social was once Atherton’s favourite child. Though this year it lost its Michelin star, after holding it for a decade, the restaurant remains an excellent place to eat traditional British cooking executed well. City makes use of a Josper grill and from it might arrive Hereford prime beef Sirloin with béarnaise or peppercorn sauce and triple-cooked chips, or perhaps Cornish monkfish meunière. Not groundbreaking, but reliable. The views look out over the City: expect to see the Shard, the Walkie Talkie and to get an impressively up-close look at the Gherkin.
Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, EC2N 1HQ, citysocial-london.com
Forza Wine
The closure of Forza Win in Peckham was a sad day for south London lovers of modern Italian(ish) dining. All are thankful for Forza Wine, where the likes of cauliflower fritti and whipped ricotta on toast precede roast trout with samphire and braised onions and pork collar with nectarines and thyme. All of this, incidentally, would equate to £30 per head (two diners) before service charge. You can eat the whole menu – enough for four – for £150. All while gazing out over the Southbank, across the Thames. It’s an ideal place for people watching; there’s always a jazzy selection of (mostly) natural wines; and there are few, if any, better ways to round off a meal in London than with a Custardo, Forza’s beloved espresso with custard.
Royal National Theatre, Upper Ground, SE1 9PX, forzawine.com
The Portrait
“Mary Poppins London” is how proprietor Richard Corrigan described to this newspaper the view from the Portrait, his brasserie above the National Portrait Gallery which opened last year. The view is panoramic thanks to a whole top-floor wall of glass, encompassing such landmarks as Nelson’s Column, the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye. Not that Poppins saw the latter. She would’ve liked the food, providing her nannying wages would stretch to it. Dishes denote the best produce from the UK and Ireland, celebrating the vegetables, fish, meat and game found across the isles. To start, perhaps a crispy poached egg with asparagus and hollandaise, before a crab linguine to punctuate a fillet of beef with peppercorn sauce.
The National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE, theportraitrestaurant.com
Decimo
Chefs from Bristol have a way to draw a crowd. Keith Floyd managed it; Peter Sanchez-Iglesias manages it today. Decimo in King’s Cross is a chic and lavish parlour of indulgence, one that begins well with the riding of a glass lift and ends with one more margarita before booking a room at the Standard. The restaurant is one for A-listers and people with gold Coutts cards, all of whom make good use of what might be the best tortilla in town, tuna tostadas, pork tacos and roasted red peppers served on top of a flat rock to be scooped up with bread. The food is part-Spanish, part-Mexican: Iberico pork chops may be had with red mullet a la talla (a spicy Mexican red sauce); cocktails are the order of the day; you might need to remortgage afterwards.
10th Floor, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG, standardhotels.com
Hutong
The elegance of Hutong — 33 floors up and built on black and glowing red — is hard to deny. This is a restaurant from a time before, opening in 2013 when everyone had more money, and dining out was meant to be fun (and fun was a byword for sexy). In its essence, it is somewhere seductive. The view is best at night, when Tower Bridge is lit below and Canary Wharf blinks in the distance. On Thursdays and Fridays the restaurant pulses moodily with music from DJs. To eat, Hutong does northern Chinese cooking, though over the years it has begun to adhere less rigidly to geography. Expect indulgent dim sum (Hutong loves truffle and wagyu), excellent Peking duck, Sichuan lobster and the like. Spice levels are rarely troubling but dishes do not lack guts. Prices are — har har — often sky high, but a set lunch is offered at £39 and early in the week a Golden Sky tasting menu is £60.
Level 33, 31 St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY, the-shard.com
Seabird
Perched on top of the Hoxton hotel in Southwark, Seabird boasts one of the capital’s largest selection of oysters. Diners may choose between Irish, Scottish, English and French; all are best enjoyed on the terrace with sparkling wine or stout. The views are splendid here, which is befitting of fine seafood. The “afternoon sea” suits groups: for £230, a feast comes in the form of shellfish, fish and more, while the à la carte brings delights such as crab on toast, octopus rolls and lobster rice. It’s haughty dining, a little dose of Mayfair, almost, south of the river.
14th Floor, South Bank, 40 Blackfriars Road, SE1 8NY, seabirdlondon.com
Rick Stein Barnes
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The best way to experience Rick Stein’s food is in Cornwall, but his Barnes outpost might be the next best thing. The riverside restaurant comes with views of the Thames in that part of west London that feels as much rural as urban. A big name restaurant means big name prices: starters push the £20 mark, a main of Indonesian seafood curry is £38. Still, this is an example of Cornish seafood in London, a place to enjoy prawn fritters, baked scallops, hake, sea bream, and Stein’s famous fish soup and turbot with hollandaise.
Tideway Yard, 125 Mortlake High Street, SW14 8SW, rickstein.com
