B A R B I C A N L I F E
The Hutong view. The Barbican tower blocks can be seen top right
For mains we chose the duck (extremely tender) and the veal chop (a bit fatty and chewy). We ordered sides of mashed potato, broccoli and carrots cooked with orange and ginger. All were cooked virtually to perfection,
Duck with mango chutney
are served in carefully measured glasses here the wine was poured at the table and when we had a refill we were presented with new glasses for it.
Desserts – my companion chose a chocolate brownie sundae which was pronounced great while I chose a strawberry and rhubarb pavlova which I wasn’t totally sure about because the rhubarb appeared to be uncooked – or at most just blanched, which made it a bit tough and tasteless although overall the strawberries, meringue and cream were nice.
At the end of the meal we finished
with American coffee and decaf – both good. The damage was around £85 a head including a bottle of sparkling water and the drinks and the coffee plus service. However one could eat for a fair bit less – or a fair bit more – depending on the menu options chosen Overall a very pleasant evening. With a window table it was fascinating to watch what looked like the toy sets of trains leaving London Bridge and heading into Cannon Street, toy boats on the Thames, toy cars on the streets and people like ants far below. Its hard to grow tired of the views from Oblix and the other Shard restaurants. Oblix, Level 32, The Shard. 31 St Thomas
Street, London SE1 9RY. Telephone 020 7268 6700 for reservations.
Dessert with a view!
The chocolate brownie Sundae
We washed our meal down with
wine by the glass, for which there was an enormous selection – from which we chose an Argentinian torrontes and a New Zealand sauvignon.blanc – both excellent. Unlike most restaurants where wines by the glass
14
33rd Floor - Hutong One has to say that one has been spoiled in terms of restaurants being reviewed recently. Maybe not Michelin starred dishes – which are often too fancy and pretentious in every respect anyway - but in terms of restaurants with good food and fantastic views, albeit very much the same views, the only difference being separated by two floors of the Shard. Hutong shares the same spectacular entrance as its sister restaurant, Aquashard, but in this case you take the open staircase upwards rather than downwards. This offers the same breathtaking views on entry so whichever one chooses the first time wow factor of the panoramic city
view is almost overwhelming, although perhaps downwards to Aqua shades it. Now Chinese food has not always necessarily been my favourite cuisine, but that opinion has up until now been based on the kind of fare served up in most Chinese restaurants in the UK. Its OK, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to partake. However Hutong in the Shard is something of a revelation – primarily serving food based on northern Chinese cuisine which differs hugely from the usual Cantonese dishes which seem to be the norm in this country. But then perhaps a really high quality Cantonese style restaurant would also prove to be something of an eye- opener for the writer. Note: must try HKK in Worship Street!. The Hutong menu is largely based on Sichuan cooking, renowned for being much more spicy and the reality, combined with the superb views from the 33rd floor of the Shard, certainly made for a great eating experience. Hutong is managed by the same
group as Aqua Shard, along with some other restaurants in London. But the restaurateurs have Chinese roots with their flagship, also called Hutong and the restaurant on which the London version is based, in Hong Kong. The restaurant itself, with floor to ceiling windows all around, is attractive with dark wooden tables set with red Chinese paper lanterns, removed when you take your seat and large cushionless chairs, perhaps awkward to manoeuvre into place. There are a number of screened off smaller areas for groups, also offering the great views and a very attractive bar area. The Hutong menu appears dauntingly large with lots of choices for starters and fish and meat main
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