For fine dining in the capital look no further than Fenchurch in the Sky Garden which encompasses fine food, views and an experience you will never forget…

If you are looking for a dinner experience in the capital that is not just special, but extraordinarily so, it can be difficult to come across. All too often they focus too much on one thing than another, failing to find the balance between location, views and the food. Yet one venue which encompasses them all is Fenchurch in the Sky Garden. Bang smack in the city centre and with views that leave you awestruck, they could do as many others do and relax, lay back and let the views do the talking, offering lacklustre food as they know people will flock in anyway. Fenchurch doesn’t do this. They prove that you can have it all and you can do it exceptionally well.

It’s a warm, balmy evening as I make my way to Fenchurch in the Sky Garden – a restaurant I have been wanting to try for a very long time. It’s the type of evening in London where the streets seem that bit more colourful and everything feels more beautiful, especially in the current times. My partner and I reach the walkie talkie building, a prominent glass figure on the cityscape. We wear our masks while down in the lobby, sanitize our hands and whiz up in the lift to the 37th floor.

We arrive a little early for our dinner reservation, making time to take a leisurely meander through the gardens. If you have yet to visit the Sky Garden, it is London’s highest public garden with 360-degree panoramic views of the city. You can wander past lush greenery and exquisitely landscaped gardens while seeing everything from the Shard to the Gherkin and the various vessels taking the snaking path of the River Thames. It’s worth timing your visit with the sunset so you can see the city’s steady transition from day to night, turning to a metropolis of glittering lights below. You could order a cocktail from the Sky Pod bar as a pre-dinner tipple or simply arrive with ten minutes or so to take in the sights.

Fenchurch is situated on the highest point of the Sky Garden and has recently reopened with an incredible new Head Chef at the helm – Michael Carr. A former Great British Menu contestant and Head Chef of the then Michelin-Starred restaurant The Box Tree in Yorkshire, Michael brings a menu focused on seasonal ingredients, innovative flavour combinations and beautiful presentation.

The decor is elegant and relaxing, in dark and creme tones. We take our seats at a corner table, sliding onto sumptuously soft leather and are offered a glass of fizz while we peruse the menu. The atmosphere up here is slightly less lively than the one in the bar below, yet feels all the better for it. It still has a buzz to the air, but is more intimate.

The menu, being in Covid times, is done via a QR code which sends it straight to your phone. It’s easy, simple and feels safe and clean. We were treated to freshly baked bread with a marmite infused butter – the outside was deliciously crispy, while the inside was soft and fluffy. We normally refrain from eating too much bread at a meal but this was so divine that when they asked if we wanted seconds, we succumbed and weren’t sorry we did so.

For starters I selected Burrata which was presented like a work of art and accompanied by roasted fig, shaved fennel, pickled radish and fig leaf oil. It was a dish that was as pleasing to the eye as it was the taste buds. Refreshing and light it was packed with flavours yet wasn’t heavy ahead of my main. Sometimes burrata dishes can feel sickly, with too much cheese and not enough of the other flavours, yet this was perfectly balanced and thoroughly enjoyed. My partners choice of scallops was another supreme pick and with a cauliflower puree, bacon jam and coriander dressing it was flavoursome yet not overbearingly so. The scallops were melt-in-your-mouth soft and again presented so beautifully it was almost a shame to eat them.

The staff here are absolutely excellent and attentive, on hand for anything you might need without leaving you feeling like you’re being hovered over. Our sommelier explained their impressive wine list which features a diverse selection of wines across a range of vintages, countries, regions and styles, settling on a fine red to accompany our meal. They recommended the Escudo Gran Reserva 2018 – a beautifully complex wine with notes of juicy black fruit, vanilla and coffee beans. A rich and elegant wine, it was the perfect choice to bring out the flavours of our food.

After not too long our mains were brought out. Mine was an oven-roasted chicken breast with pomme purée and girolles – a small yet flavoursome mushroom. Once the place was set before me they poured over a creamed chicken jus which added the right amount of flavour and added to the succulence of the dish. My partner’s aged beef fillet was a real show-stopper, with soft, tender beef that was cooked to perfection. It was accompanied by brasied cheef, bone marrow, carrot purée and thyme jus.

We were pretty full by this point, yet nothing was going to stop us from ordering dessert. We had seen others being carried out to diners and knew skipping out on a sweet to finish would be one we would regret.

Soon I was tucking into a Balsamic crème caramel with fresh British strawberries and cardamom yoghurt sorbet, while my partner was enjoying a Rum Baba with poached peaches and milk ice cream. As with all the previous courses we were blown away by the presentation and the flavours. Both desserts were deliciously decadent yet light on the stomach and the ideal way to round off our experience in Fenchurch in the Sky Garden.

We ended the evening with a slow wander down to the Sky Pod bar for a last look at the views, soaking in the atmosphere, before whizzing back down 37 floors to reality on the ground. In Fenchurch restaurant in the Sky Garden you feel quite literally as though you are floating on a high, in a little bubble away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It’s an escape from the stressful times we are currently in and is somewhere you can truly indulge and feel a little spoilt, while properly relaxing. Dine on fine ingredients, sip on a soft glass of red and watch the sunset puddle over the surfaces, cherishing those rare moments of serenity as the city runs amock so many floors below. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, it is hard to find somewhere extraordinarily special, but the Fenchurch in the Sky Garden is just that.

Fenchurch in the Sky Garden
1 SKY GARDEN WALK, London EC3M 8AF