It took three weeks to pop, but when it finally did, it was amazing - a futuristic contraption hanging in the sky over Royal Festival Hall, overlooking all the major sights around the Thames - Big Ben, Parliament, the City - held in place by some steely contraptions. Not for the fainthearted, or for people with a fear of heights. But for the adventurous in search of style and excellent food, this is the place to be until the end of September.
It is small, so exclusivity is guaranteed, and the prices are a reflection. Lunch is £175, and dinner £215, but what a treat.
Chef Claude Bossi from Hibiscus was on hand to provide the most lush lunch I have eaten up so high. A starter of confit asparagus in toasted hay may not sound appealing (and didn’t really look so great), but the taste was divine. The New Caledonian shrimp was so beautifully done, I could easily have scoffed a few more, and the cod accompagnied by girolles and Lancashire mead was exceptional. Such ‘delicatesse’ chef.
But for me, the most memorable was the ambitious combination of a strawberry Charlotte, celeriac jelly(!) and a creamy soufflé, infused with Szechuan pepper.
All of this goodness was sponsored by Electrolux, which makes kitchen appliances for Michelin-starred chefs, it seems. Who would have thought? But if marketing achieves such wondrous events, we won't certainly won't complain.
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