I knew when I booked the reservation months in advance that I would be potentially be booking a dinner at a known tourist trap. But I’ve never been able to resist a good sweeping aerial view of a major metropolitan city. There’s something about seeing a city from above that gives me such a serene sense of peace. Of course, I wanted the experience to be as photogenic as possible and thus went online and looked up sunset times for London on the night of our reservation. If you’re going to eat dinner so far above the city streets, why not take advantage of the view and eat at the most opportune time?
Sunsetting over the river Thames and St Paul’s as seen from the Aquashard restaurant.
To my surprise and delight, the dinner was not at all touristy. While there certainly were tourists, there did also appear to be local businessmen wining and dining clients, women having celebrating ladies night out and and couples enjoying a nice meal. Now maybe they were all tourists, but they didn’t give off that vibe. The meal, while expensive, was exquisite and worth it — honestly, for the quality of the food and the excellence of the preparation it wasn’t that pricy. I can think of other high end restaurants where the quality of food doesn’t match the price point and where the atmosphere is less than thrilling.
Each course was excellently prepared and presented. Starting with a creamy burrata over veggies covered in a light lemon sauce. Main course was a medium-rare lamb and feta + cucumber tart. Normally, I don’t eat meat medium-rare, which I know some will think a food sin, but given the knowledge of the waiters, it’s hard not to trust their judgement. They were right, the lamb ended up maintaining its full flavor which paired nicely with aubergine puree underneath. The highlight of the meal was of course dessert — is anyone surprised? The guava, passionfruit and raspberry puree was surround by sugar heated and molded to match its namesake — the Shard.
Is the Shard a must for dinner? No. It’s London, you’re going to have amazing food options everywhere. But is the Shard worth it should you decide to eat dinner here? Yes. Absolutely. The views alone would be worth the dinning experience but the excellent food and service make it that much better.