Oblix West is setting sky-high culinary standards in the capital
The Shard’s best restaurant is a heightened eating experience — and that’s as much thanks to the burrata and black cod as it is the skyscraper setting
There are only a few restaurants in London where you must pass through security scanners to get to your table. Oblix West is one of them — and, soaring high on the 32 floor, the airport-grade welcome feels oddly appropriate.
The first restaurant to open in The Shard, back in 2013, Oblix continues to set sky-high standards. And, thanks to a truly international menu — calling on ingredients and flavours from the four corners of the world — by the time you touch back down to earth, you’ll feel both splendidly well-travelled and globally stuffed.
The views (not to mention the starters) are something to behold
Take your seat and you’ll spend the first ten minutes or so of your meal digesting the view. Oblix boasts stunning, sweeping views from St. Pauls to the West End — that only get better the further down the menu you work. It’s as if all of London is watching you dine; glittering up with jealous eyes and watering mouths from almost 150 metres below.
And their envy is justified. The starters are designed to be shared — a wonderful ice-breaker if you’re on a particularly frosty first date — and count Truffle Flatbread with Pancetta & Ricotta, Soft Shell Crab and Seared Beef with Parsley Pesto within their delectable number. But our highlight was surely the Burrata with Olives & Datterini Tomatoes, less a starter and more a creamy, melt-in-the-mouth experience.
Dive into the seafood on offer; every dish is a catch
For your next course in the Claudio Silvestrin-designed Oblix, cast your eyes — and net — over the seafood offerings.
The jewel in the crown of executive chef Marcus Eaves’ culinary showcase (the gastronomic wunderkind gained his first Michelin star aged just 27) is the £65 Seafood Platters that sailed by the table looking fresher than they had any right to. But avoid these, and instead opt for several of the other light seafood bites.
Go for the Crispy Squid with Chilli and Lime as one of your shared starters, which will zing and zest its way into your mouth and heart. And follow this up with the Marinated King Prawns, served with Green Beans & Black Olives — so meaty and fresh that they’ll get you firmly on the seafood track.
Good thing too, as no trip to Oblix should be without a taste of the Scallops with Tomato and Pesto; speechless-rendering seafood that promises to melt away like the words in your mouth.
The main attractions give meat its moment, but fish still floats out on top
You’d think any menu with a 200G Wagyu Tenderloin on the menu wouldn’t even bother with any other dishes. But even though you enter Oblix through an open kitchen, where you see the wood-fired oven, charcoal grill and rotisserie sizzling and spitting away, there’s more to this menu than the meat.
The fish, yet again, takes the stage during the main courses. And the Josper-grilled BBQ Black Cod & Coriander Salsa is one of the most moreish plates we’ve had this year so far. However, despite being the only table of the 110-cover restaurant who seemed to also order the Spiced Rump of Lamb with Heritage Tomatoes & Oregano, the meat’s sumptuous texture didn’t leave us feeling too left out of the seafood fest.
Before your feet touch the ground once more, try at least two cocktails
It’s not just Oblix’s skyscraper setting that heightens the experience of eating in this thoroughly modern eatery; even the cocktail list elevates it above other establishments. And, as always, one is never enough.
Such is the range of Oblix’s cocktail menu that you must try at least one from each end of the sweet/sour/savoury spectrum. Our personal choices would be the Coconut Takamaka, with pineapple, white chocolate foam and lime, followed by the Blueberry Ketel One, with lemon, violet and egg whites.
But, with options containing everything from grapefruit and kiwi to ginger, we’ll leave you to decide. And only then, when you’ve sampled everything Oblix has to offer, will your sky-high experience truly take off.
Fancy more gastronomic delight? Could this 10-course tasting menu be the most decadent in London?
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
