As I write this, actually sat in the bar, my fellow Publocator is stuck in a Maplewood, New Jersey version of Groundhog Day. Courtesy of the Icelandic Volcano Scam he’s on night eight, of what should only have been four, of a six-hour-a-night bar crawl in a one-bar town. And he’s not due back for another week. Lucky b…
I digress.
Skylon is about as impressive as bars get, it’s windows look bigger than the walls of my building and my building is three stories high. The views over the river are so breathtaking it’s hard to describe without using clichés. The bar is in the middle of the open-plan Skylon restaurant inside Royal Festival Hall on the west of the South Bank (we are talking about London, not Gaza) and on this Wednesday evening it’s bustling with after-work drinkers and pre-some-sort-of-high-brow-entertainment diners.
The reasons for coming here to drink, outside of the location, are the cocktails. It’s April and the drinks list includes a ‘Spring Collection’ that wouldn’t be out of place in any bar in the world. The classics are all here and there’s a comprehensive Bellini section. The bottle list is as good as it gets without specialising and the bar snacks are straight out of a Michelin tasting menu. A member of the H&H stable, the venue comes with a high-end pedigree but lives up to expectations well.
I’m waiting for a companion (who, at her behest, shall remain nameless) and I’m about an hour early so I can get stuck into this while it’s fresh in my mind. The temptation to get stuck into the cocktail list is almost as compelling but if I do we’ll be all out of kilter, so it’s a bottle of Heineken to start (ice cold, chilled glass and quietly topped up by the waitress before I realised it needed doing).
When my companion arrived I jumped straight into a British Twist from the ‘Bartender’s Choice’ section; fresh lemon juice and lychee liquor shaken with Bombay Sapphire, creme de mure, fresh mint and blackberries. It was even better than it sounds. The Bellini gets just as many ooohs from my guest and after that the signature drink, ‘Skylon’ (grapes are involved – can you tell this is now the day after?) - in a stunning moulded deco martini glass, goes down even better. Around this point our waitress has suffered a mild bout of amnesia but we both comment how it doesn’t really detract.
Bar snacks, created by exec chef Helena Puolakka, are well thought-out but delivery is mixed – pea, leek and mint tart is exquisite as are smoked fishcake balls, duck pancakes are ok but crumbed prawns are a little dry. Only a small detraction from what is turning out to be a very pleasant evening indeed.
I really have to mention again just how incredible the view is from here, it’s dark now, the huge space is almost entirely candlelit and the lights of the city are reflected back at us by the river, these kind of views are normally seen from much higher up than this and the difference at this level is inspiring. Skylon is a must-visit place, eating and drinking are a pleasure and the environment has little comparison. Make the effort as soon as you can.
The evening closes out and a great evening it was too, I leave very happy to have been and with only the smallest of regrets that my ash-frustrated partner in crime wasn’t there to see it.
I texted him a little later to let him know but he was too drunk to reply.
Bobby
Where: Skylon, Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 8XX
When: Wed 21st April, 8pm
Unpublicised: On sunny days the blinds are down until around 7.30pm, when they raise up everyone goes quiet for a second.
Closes: 1am Mon- Sat, 10.30pm Sun
Restaurant: Lunch 12pm – 2.30pm
Dinner 5.30pm – 10.30pm
Tel: 020 7654 7800
Website: http://www.danddlondon.com/restaurants/skylon/home
Menus: Restaurant, grill and bar. All very good.
Interest: Apparently there’s a theatre upstairs.
