Review: Luxury lunch at Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden, London

Style Points: 5/5
Price: £££
Overall: 4/5

When you’re presented with breath-taking panoramic views of London, you can’t help but appreciate this amazing capital city; and there no better way to celebrate the start of a new year in London by taking in the stunning views from the Sky Garden.

On our visit to the 35th floor of we were blessed with clear blue skies and although it was a chilly winter’s day, the frost added a festive streak to the already sparkly Christmas decorations.

We had booked to have lunch at Darwin Brasserie on the 36th floor, and were delighted with our perfect window-side table with views out across the Sky Garden towards the glimmering Shard.

What’s on the menu?

Perfectly satisfied with the views from our table, we ordered some warming winter cocktails and our starter of red onion tarte tatin and a heritage beetroot salad with truffled goat's cheese. Both dishes were beautifully presented and delectable, especially the red onion tarte tatin of which I could have happily eaten another.

Cocktails at Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden

For our main course we ordered the pearl barley risotto with herb oil and bath soft cheese. This was a rather heavy dish and my dining companion was quite full after just a few bites! I tried the butternut squash potato gnocchi with wild mushrooms, pecorino and rocket. This was a lovely dish in which the combination of pecorino cheese and the tart sauce was divine.

Alongside the main course we ordered a side of delicious truffle and parmesan fries. I’ve become quite a fan of truffle fries and find them irresistible, if a little filling, and these were delicious!

Beetroot Salad at Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden

Red onion tart at Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden

Starters at Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden

For dessert we decided to share the chocolate bar and Jivara ganache served with roast banana ice cream. Our lovely waitress warned us that this was a chocolate-heavy dessert and it certainly was! Unfortunately, due to the density of the chocolate we found this dessert hard to finish, we also weren’t fans of the banana ice cream and believe a simple vanilla flavour would have worked much better. However despite this, we couldn’t waste chocolate, and so managed to make our way through it!

Main course at Darwin Brasserie, Sky Garden

Could I afford to dine here again?

The Darwin Brasserie is a luxury high-end restaurant and the prices reflect this. The main courses are between £12 to £23 for the meat dishes, and desserts are nearly £10 each. Our three course meal came to £50 each which is a fair but expensive meal.

Overall?

I’ve visited the Sky Garden many times as I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and lovely views of my home city. I’ve also dined at Darwin Brasserie on a number of occasions and find the customer service and food of a high level.

On this particular occasion we had a very long leisurely lunch and occupied the table for hours with no complaints. Overall it was a luxurious, relaxed and very enjoyable meal!