It was a year ago this week that Joe and I made the decision to move to London, so we went to dinner at Skylon restaurant to mark the occasion. Skylon is located in Royal Festival Hall, which is part of the Southbank Centre. Its location means great views of the city through it's HUGE windows and we can walk from our flat.
We had been twice before for cocktails at the bar. They make a perfect scotch old fashioned that starts with a cube of raw sugar slowly stirred in club soda until it's completely dissolved. We of course have snacked on the bar food which was excellent, but mostly it was the atmosphere and the service that persuaded us to take the plunge. Dining out in London is a bit on the outrageous side if you stop to think what you can get for the same cost in other cities, in other countries, irrespective of the Dollar because it works in Euros too, as we have proven on several occasions.
The international staff - we couldn't find a Brit among them - includes Poles, Serbs, Portuguese, Italians, Fins and French, which just adds to the atmosphere. Their individual commitment to service is uncommon for what we've seen in England to date. They also wear very cool "uniforms" that remind me of something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
We started our meal with a glass of champagne from the champagne cart. This is a common thing in Europe...the glass of champagne as an aperitif...that I've not really seen in the States. My starter was a goat cheese mousse with red cabbage and Joe had the most amazing looking duck pate that he said was incredible. It was accompanied by a red thing that we initially thought was sun-dried tomatoes or red peppers, but turned out to be spiced pears and apples - very tasty. We had a New Zealand Pinot Noir for the wine. For mains I had the saffron linguine which included the most perfectly flavored pieces of artichoke hearts I have ever eaten in my life, just incredible. Joe had a lamb stew which fails to describe the true meaning of it.
It was around this time that the staff began to realize that they had a couple of foodies on their hands. We asked quite a few questions about the food and they were more than happy to fill us with details. Shortly thereafter Norman the assistant manager stopped by and he was just a really great guy who sent us a round of champagne at the end of the evening to thank us for our enthusiasm.After relaxing with our glasses of wine we had the cheese cart. I haven't had a cheese cart like this since Cityzen at the Mandarin Oriental in DC. Huge selection and they all smelled and looked really good. Our server went into inspiring detail about each. Joe had a nice glass of Port (our server let me have a small splash to taste) and I had a nice Rioja. Really, really amazing cheeses.
We were having so much fun, Joe decided we should have an after dinner drink at the bar so we could visit Kasha the bartender and have one of her amazing cocktails. While there we got a chance to meet the bar manager who turned out to be Serbian. Joe was really happy to be able to talk with someone else about Slivovic.
Then came my highlight of the evening. As the things were winding down in the restaurant I saw a woman step out of the kitchen and I was pretty sure it was Helena Puolakka the executive chef. Joe encouraged me to go over to her and introduce myself. I gushed a bit, but we had a great conversation about her food and how she makes her goat cheese mousse...a little bit of DC Mini-Bar magic as it were. She was so charming, but I think the idea that she had a fan was a new concept for her. Great fun for me!
Before I close, I have to mention that they have a "grill" that is much more relaxed that Joe and I want to eat at too! If you plan to go, make reservations. They offer a short menu from 5:30p and the full menu after 7:00p.
