Sky High Dining at Fenchurch Restaurant

The Sky Garden is one of the latest ways to enjoy a birds eye view of London. And it’s free!

Unlike some of the other tall buildings of London, it’s not a gherkin-shaped office block with no public access nor a soaring pay-to-ascend tourist attraction. You don’t even have to book a table for dinner and drinks – you are welcome to enjoy the terrace and garden area completely free, as long as you book in advance.

The Sky Garden is on the 35th floor of the building most commonly referred to as the Walkie Talkie, though personally I think it more closely resembles an old-school mobile phone.

We booked our free visit to the Sky Garden for a sunny weekday afternoon in March and marvelled at the views but didn’t stop for a drink or snack at the Sky Pod Bar, as all the available seating was taken.

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Instagram images from our visit back in March

Those looking for a full meal can book a table at Darwin, a brasserie located on the 36th floor, or Fenchurch up on the 37th, which serves a ‘British contemporary’ menu.

Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-7533 Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-7536
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It was drizzling mid-September evening when we visited Fenchurch but the rain didn’t temper the glory of the views.

Our table, next to the windows at the West of the restaurant was one of only a handful to look out across miles and miles of London.

Other tables along the south-facing internal windows had their views almost entirely blocked by a large empty terrace just outside the restaurant. With the building’s glass roof overhead, locating tables out on to the terrace would be so much lovelier and make use of a somewhat pointless space.

Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-0202

We wondered if the original name for Fenchurch was 37? The menu branding seemed to suggest so.

Fenchurch offers a regular a la carte, a Tasting Menu (£70) and a vegetarian Tasting Menu (£50). The Wine Pairing for both Tasting Menus is an additional £39. With cockles and mussels both featuring in the regular Tasting Menu, Pete decided to order the vegetarian one, which allowed us to try many more dishes between us.

Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-181543 Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-0200

The bread was excellent. The olive bread and rosemary focaccia were superb in taste and texture, and very fresh; the butter was soft and spreadable, rather than fridge cold. So many restaurants give scant attention to these two elements so it’s always a good sign when they are given proper respect.

Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-0203 Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-0205

Although we giggled that the popped rice amuse bouche looked suspiciously maggot-like, the tiny nibbles were delicious. My crumbed pork was fantastic, Pete’s vegetarian one a little burst of flavour.

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First course on the non-vegetarian tasting menu: Chopped mackerel, pickled cockles, sea herbs and oyster cream. I loved this delightful jumble of tastes, textures and colours. Soft fresh mackerel, sweet pickled cockles and the most fantastic crunch from crispy tempura bits scattered through the mixture. Lovely bursts of flavour and salt from the sea herbs. A super dish.

Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-0206

The vegetarian first course: Pea soup, poached egg yolk, mint and sourdough croutons. This was a beautiful soup; the essence of pea and mint, crunch from the croutons and richness from the oozing yolk.

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My second course was my absolute favourite of the menu: Rabbit bolognaise, harissa, Berkswell and sourdough. Again, the balance of textures between soft pasta, meat which was tender but not pappy and crunch from the sourdough was spot on. Likewise, the balance of flavours between rabbit and harissa was superb, with the harissa giving just the right level of heat and flavour.

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Second for Pete was Burrata, peach, grapefruit and fennel. The combination was given a thumbs up but the burrata was enormously disappointing, with none of the oozing creaminess that a burrata should have, this was far more like a regular ball of mozzarella and not a very creamy or fresh one at that. Still, the flavours worked.

Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-0217

Confusingly, my next dish was not the Cornish turbot described on the Tasting Menu but Dover sole with brown shrimps, capers and samphire and a single squid ink pasta parcel stuffed with scallop mousse and more brown shrimp. Once again, the combination of ingredients was very good, with sea salt and crunch from the samphire, acidity from the capers and a welcome oomph of fishiness from the brown shrimp but the dover sole was a little overcooked, giving it a texture that was on the chewy side.

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Next for Pete was a dish very poorly described as Baked potato mash, sour cream and lovage. The description in the a la carte menu of the main dish version was far more accurate: Textures of potato. I loved this more than Pete did – he enjoyed it but felt it was more of a side dish, whereas I thought it stood alone rather splendidly. Potato was showcased three ways – a rich, layered block of fondant potato, a pool of smokey mash and soaring crisps that broke with a satisfying snap. Flavours were subtle but delicious. Pete was particularly impressed with the wine pairing for this course, a Tokaji Dry Furmint Béres 2013.

Sky Garden Fenchurch Restaurant - Kavey Eats © Kavita Favelle-0221

Goodwood Estate lamb, garlic, artichokes, basil and olive jus was a generous dish with lamb cooked four ways – there was loin served rare, another cut I forget, a meatball and a pulled lamb croquette. The garlic puree was a little too raw garlic pungent for me, but the rest was well presented and delicious.

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Pete’s Jerusalem artichoke and ricotta agnolotti, summer truffle, hazelnuts and sage was one of his favourites. The dish was not the most attractive but once again, textures and flavours came together nicely. The tomato sauce was delicious but the fresh tomatoes were seriously under-flavoured and lacking in oomph. Our message to the chef – if you can’t source better tomatoes, take them off the menu! Critical sourcing of ingredients, and rejection of any which don’t meet standards, is surely a basic tenet of a restaurant of this calibre?

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The two dessert courses were the same across both versions of the Tasting Menu. The first was Coconut cream, lime granita with mango and sesame, a gorgeous little pot bursting with flavours. Very intense. Rich and yet refreshing.

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Last was this Glazed peanut and chocolate bar with banana yoghurt ice cream. I loved this! Intense, rich, sweet and salty peanut and chocolate against tangy yoghurt with banana flavour, this was, as we were coming to expect, a lovely combination.

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Petit fours were a decent chocolate truffle, soft and melting in the centre, and a mouth-puckeringly sharp elderflower lemon fruit jelly – so sharp the waiter gave a warning about it as he served it. Pete liked it, finding the level of acidity quite refreshing.

Our meal at Fenchurch was certainly enjoyable and fairly priced for the City location.

The cooking was accomplished; most of the dishes were very well conceived and cooked, providing superb balance of textures and flavours, with visual appeal an added bonus.

It’s a shame the layout of restaurant and terrace doesn’t give diners the view you might expect and I’d have been disappointed had we been seated elsewhere – we were allocated one of just a handful of tables with a wow-factor outlook. Of course, you can enjoy the views by walking around the Sky Gardens before or after dinner but be warned that if you don’t get the right table, you won’t enjoy the full effect of the views while dining.

 

Kavey Eats dined as guests of Fenchurch restaurant.
Fenchurch Seafood Bar & Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
Square Meal

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22 Comments to "Sky High Dining at Fenchurch Restaurant"

  1. Andrea @ Made With Pink

    Oh Kavey, everything looks delicious. I know what you mean about the views though. The Sky Garden isn’t far from my office, so I’ve been there a fair few times before and after work, as well as on weekends. I do like it there, but their chocolate chip cookies from the cafe bit need some improvement. I shared one with my son, and neither of us finished it. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to try the peanut & banana ice cream dessert. Thanks for the fab review.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Andrea, that’s lovely that you’ve been a few times, I can imagine it’s a nice place to just sit and enjoy the views. I’ve not tried anything from the cafe or from Darwin, but I did enjoy the food at Fenchurch! Hope you get to try!

    Reply
  2. kaveyeats

    Very fresh and delicious. I’m so glad we took one veggie and one non-veggie tasting menu!

    Reply
  3. kellie@foodtoglow

    You always write such comprehensive, thoughtful and honest restaurant reviews, Kavey. Fenchurch (or is it 37??) sounds like it has elements of brilliance that perhaps – with the stunning view (marred by the weird, uncovered/unused terrace) – make it a must-visit for anyone visiting London, or for a special treat for anyone already in town.Odd about the yucky tomatoes. If it was December I would understand. Those little things make such a difference, don’t they.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Aw, thank you Kellie, that’s very kind. I would say the food tends to excellent far more often than the odd mediocre elements – the burrata and the tomatoes were the key letdowns, I would say and I think the chef does need to be more critical when accepting produce, or refuse to use it if it’s not good enough. These things absolutely do make a difference. But his cooking really is wonderful – many chefs balance flavours well, but it’s rarer to see the textural aspect given such prominence too.

    Reply
  4. Karl Woolston

    Food looks amazing to go along with the views, definately going to have to give it a go, great review and photos 🙂

    Reply
  5. Kevin Chambers-Paston

    Wow, those views are stunning and your photographs are top class on this post (as always!) I just love the dark and atmospheric look when combined with a shallow depth of field. Perfect!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Thank you so much, yes the views are really amazing, and the food was mostly very good. Thank you for your kind comments on my photos!

    Reply
  6. Penelope

    That does look amazing – I keep saying to M we must go up there one weekend. The pea soup with the poached egg yolk looks stunning!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Really lovely dish and if you’ve not been to the Sky Garden yet, this is definitely a nice way to make it a special occasion!

    Reply
  7. Lucy @SupergoldenBakes

    Let’s try this again – my first comment was not published somehow. Have been looking for a date spot to take my husband and this looks like the perfect location! Last time we went to Duck and Waffle and this looks like it has the views but a more reasonable price tag. Love the idea of a tasting menu and can’t wait to visit.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Thanks for persevering Lucy, I did indeed find this one in spam folder, but not any previous one. I have told Akismet that you are not a spammer, so hopefully it will remember for next time!

    Reply
  8. Kacie

    This looks like a real treat to visit as a restaurant – and your photos are such great quality. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  9. Choclette

    Gosh those photos have given me vertigo. The food looks wonderful, but it’s just a little too high and with too much glass for me. I’m such a woos when it comes to heights.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I’m odd on vertigo front. I can’t stand on a stool or chair without significant vertigo and i have to turn sideways going down escalators, and hold on. But where the height is much much higher, my brain seems not to associate it with the potential fall so it’s all fine. Helicopter and hot air balloon I have a short period of fear when it’s low to the ground but once up high I’m fine!!!

    Reply

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