Indulging in London’s dining scene can mean a serious dent in the finances, there are just so many lovely places to try but there are a few canny tricks to try to ensure you can try the fine dining options London has to offer without blowing the budget. Many places will offer a set menu that offers a glimpse of the work going on in the kitchen but my real go to for an amazing deal is Bookatable who have some wonderful options available, including a real dazzling meal I had at 3 Michelin starred Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester and downed some free flowing bubbles at Aqua Nueva.
April is Feast on London month and its not too late to get to try some of these deals for yourself, so get in there & save yourself some pennies! To help you along, I chose a place I’ve wanted to try for some time, heading sky high to Oblix at the Shard.
We have the babe with us – which I’ve confirmed that the restaurant is happy with and luckily she’s small and a good lunchtime snoozer so we knew we’d be able to have a peaceful lunch.
Landing on the 32nd floor, you walk through dark atmospheric corridors to be met with chefs at work and entering a neutral room with dark tables and beige leather chairs. But you’re not here for the room…………
You’re here to look at THIS. The weather gods smiled on us and we got a beautiful day.
But even if you didn’t, London is just gorgeous even with moody skies.
Stunning view!
Champagnes with a view
I’ve been dreaming of a juicy steak so I can’t resist ordering the sirloin steak with a side of the endive & blue cheese dressing, while husband is eyeing up the duck with mango chutney and of course he needs to have chips on the side.
My steak is perfectly cooked however the sauces they’ve brought to complement it don’t add much value as they don’t actually taste like anything, so I’m glad the salad is sharp and adds so much punch for just a small plate. I didn’t find the duck to taste of much and I’m happy with my main!
We were asked to order dessert at the same time as our starters & mains which I found to be a bit rude and overall, the service isn’t very sharp. On taking us to our table, we’re asked if baby is sleeping and when we replied with yes, the rude scoff of ‘Good’ is off putting. Crying babies aren’t welcome restaurant companions of course, but ours hasn’t made a single squeak. It doesn’t make a good first impression.
A bottle of sparkling water opened in front of us unasked creates confusion and is cheeky considering I don’t like sparkling water and we’d much rather have better for the environment tap water. Looking around, they’re trying this on everyone, which is creating confused looks from a lot of the other tables as well!
Dessert arrives at high speed and this is where husband’s ordering has come up trumps. The pecan nut chocolate bar with crunchy bourbon ice cream is pure unadulterated heaven. I wish we’d ordered two of those, because my chocolate pear choux is a little odd.
Paul Hollywood would not be happy with the dry choux, confusingly stuffed with pieces of ice cold pear. Instead, he’d focus on the pear sorbet which is lusciously pear flavoured and just fantastic and could almost make up for the disappointing pastry.
Proceeding through our 3 courses at breakneck speed means we’ve finished our lunch in an hour, which is speedily excessive even despite the constant mentions of the ‘2 hour table’, but on that subject at least I’ve ranted long and often and there just isn’t any point.
Nevertheless, we’ve had a really enjoyable lunch and with the babe continuing to sleep soundly through, we decide not to tempt fate and head off, pleasantly full of good food and patting ourselves on the back having taken advantage of a good deal.
I was asked by Bookatable to review their ‘Feast on London’ deals and compensated to do so. Oblix was not aware I was a food blogger.
inher30s 
Those big & beautiful buildings just have the best views don’t they? Well, when the weather plays ball!
Hmm I’m not sure I like the sound of the food or service at Oblix – seems they’re resting on their ‘view-points’ a little too much! We were asked what our dessert choice was too when we ordered our first courses at Roux at The Landau, but when I said I wouldn’t know what I’d like until after the savoury courses, our lovely server humoured me without any issues – I don’t think they should ask at all, but if they do, this should be how they deal with the response! And don’t even get me started on the water, and baby-frowning! Such a shame as it could be so, so much better considering the location and stellar setting!
I’ve never had anyone ask for my dessert choice up front! Admittedly we probably could have just asked for it later but in our surprise we just chose something. I admit I might be a bit overly sensitive where baby is concerned but the water is something small and easily remedied.
That’s such a shame about the service and the comment about your baby is really rude! Your steak looks really good though, and the pecan nut chocolate bar sounds like something I’d love.
It was a shame but I might have been feeling a little extra sensitive about any concerns about the baby too (I did check with them though!). That pecan chocolate bar was seriously amazing, husband was so smug eating it!