The Sky Garden, London

The latest London Skyscraper unveiled a fantastic high-rise restaurant and bar on January 5th this year. The famous enlarged glass dome of 20 Fenchurch Street is dedicated to three storeys of exquisitely landscaped public gardens and London’s most exclusive social spaces, including observation decks and an open air terrace.

The Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street is a unique public space that spans three storeys and offers 360 degree uninterrupted views across the City of London. Visitors can wander around the exquisitely landscaped gardens, observation decks and an open air terrace of what is undisputedly London’s highest public garden.

The Sky Garden was designed to create an open and vibrant place of leisure, offering visitors a rare chance to experience London from a different viewpoint. Entry to the Sky Garden is free, but please note space is strictly limited and visits must be booked online in advance.

The Sky Garden is actually comprised of two restaurants, a cafe and bar and a few events spaces that city folk are sure to put to good use.

Restaurant wise, there’s the Fenchurch Seafood bar and Grill on level 37. That’s an all-day seafood restaurant with a main focus on oysters, fish and crustacea as well as seasonal game, meat and vegetarian dishes. Here you can expect seafood cocktail with lobster, roasted day boat cod with Judion beans and chorizo from the fish side of things and fillet steak on the bone with marrowbone shallot sauce from the grill. It also has a private dining room, The Vinoly Room which can accommodate 18 for a seated dinner.

Down one floor on level 36 is the Darwin Brasserie. This is an all-day brasserie with a concept that is “inspired by nature and has a modern, stylish setting” which overlooks the Thames. The brasserie serves “classic European cuisine” including carpaccio of Scottish beef with truffled mascarpone rocket and parmesan; Cornish lamb cutlets and bubble and squeak with Cumberland jelly as well as their own croissant-doughnut combination with passion fruit curd and coconut ice-cream.

Go down another floor to level 35 and you find the Sky Pod bar. Again, it’s an all-day affair with “lunchtime snacks and British charcuterie in the evening with a focus on local London produce and suppliers”. There will be artisan charcuterie boards with air-dried Hereford beef, chilli and red wine, and black Gloucestershire pork. In the evening it is mainly a cocktail bar – again with fabulous views of the Thames.

If you fancy hosting your own high-rise party, you can hire out more areas of the Sky Garden – they can take parties from 20 – 450 but beware, you need to be prepared to spend an awful lot of money for private hire!