Searcys Club at The Gherkin

We came here when the restaurant and bar was open to the public and was set up with a moroccan theme. We had the mid-​afternoon mezze which was like a moroccan twist on afternoon tea with a cocktail. The food came and our high hopes were instantly dashed. Lukewarm, dried out falafel, soggy sardine on a bit of bread and babaganoush which tasted like cigarettes. The chickpea salad was the best of a bad bunch but very sweet and sickly. The plates were all chipped and one bowl had a crack down it. We were starving though, having saved ourselves for this treat so managed to eat some of it. The desserts were of a similar quality. It reminded me of the sort of canapés you might get at a conference in a cheap hotel.
The staff were pleasant enough and when we complained they offered us a discount. The view was good but there was no atmosphere really with generic elevator music playing in the background.
Don’t go for the food but the view is great and the gherkin itself is something to behold.

Truly amazing views from the top of the Gherkin, helped by luckily picking a perfect clear and sunny evening and timing it around the sunset with a table right next to the window. We luckily managed to get a table through one of the days they open the restaurant up to the public, as I believe it is normally only open to members and events only. Something we didn’t know about it is that there is a small section of airport like security you have to go through to get into the lifts, so make sure you get there a little early if it’s your first time. Service was attentive throughout. Champagne trolley on arrival. Incredible homemade butter that tasted like churned double cream. They had a set menu on the night, c£45 for three courses which had a varied selection. I ended going for a dish (mutton rump) which had an £8 supplement. To be fair I wish I hadn’t had done it. Don’t get me wrong, the dish was lovely but it I don’t believe it warranted the supplement. My partner went for the duck which was bar far better main. Overall a lovely experience which you should do at least one. (Visit — 21/​04/​2015 Dinner)

The restaurant and bar on top of the Gherkin is normally a private members club open only to paying members and tenants of the Gherkin. I have actually attended a work function held on the bar level by a tenant of the building. Then I found out that for a few days a month during the summer, it is possible for members of the public to book a table either at the restaurant or the bar. My friends were very keen to take advantage of the opportunity, as not many people know someone who is a tenant of the Gherkin. You can only find out the open days the month before, but after exchanging a few emails with the receptionist, I found out the days available for June and easily managed to make a booking for an evening less than a week away. On these open days, there are set rules for what you can order: at the bar, you have to get a flight of 4 champagnes with canapés, which is for a set price of £29.49. Alternatively, there is a 3-​course menu available at the restaurant for £45. I thought both prices were quite reasonable, given the steep price of visiting an observation deck in London, and in the end we chose to go with the option at the bar.
On a beautiful evening, the place was surprisingly not crowded, with a mix of members/​tenants drinking wine and beers, and then a few other groups doing the champagne flight and canapés. The décor was disappointing though, with clear plastic chairs set out that looked very cheap. I can’t imagine that a private members club normally looks like this. Service was also fairly poor, as even though we had pre-​booked the champagne flight, it took a long time for that to come out, and even longer for the canapés, to the point that it was difficult to say that it was really a pairing given the champagne had already been partly consumed. The canapé selection was a mushroom arancini, duck and sesame toast, a salmon roll and a raspberry sorbet. I thought they were delicious, and the sorbet especially unique as it didn’t melt even after sitting out for 20+ minutes (!), and the champagnes were also all very enjoyable. But when one of my friends said she had a seafood allergy and asked for something instead of the salmon roll, the waiter first laughed it off and said salmon was not seafood, then walked off. When she noted later that something had not been brought out, he seemed defiant at first, before finally checking with the chef and bringing out fried rice crackers and a cucumber and yogurt dipping sauce.
So while the food and drink could have been improved, the views are simply stunning. My friends and I thought it was easily the best rooftop bar in London, with 360 degree views of the city. We were seated facing St. Paul’s cathedral, with a view of the Shard and other City buildings, and Canary Wharf to our back. Even though we arrived at 7 PM, we waited all the way until sunset to leave, as it was such a beautiful sight. If I were to come again, I would book closer to the time of sunset in order to take in the views during the day, sunset, and evening. These open days must not be very well known, as I can easily see high demand for this type of opportunity. I would say that over half of the tables were empty. Given that it takes weeks to get a booking in the Shard or the Sky Pod Bar, and there are probably only a handful of open days at the Gherkin per year, getting this booking was relatively painless and it definitely impressed.

I came here for the first time for my friend’s engagement party and we booked the Pommery Champagne tasting menu, where we got to try four kinds of champagne with little nibbles of food. The food was good, but I have to say, my boyfriend and I were quite disappointed. All the champagne was WARM. Yes, WARM. For a place like this, completely unacceptable.

The City of London is a ghost town on Saturday nights, far removed from the hectic West End streets. So the perfect time to admire the architecture and mix of new and old. St Mary Axe was a medieval church, now the location of the ‘Gherkin’, where the top three floors are operated as a private club.
The very top, floor 40, is a glass enclave offering 360 views of London. Impressive. Perfect date location, or to impress visitors or clients. Naturally there’s a corporate feel to the place but it’s fairly casual, they don’t seem to enforce the no-​trainers-​or-​ripped-​jeans policy too strictly. (Security is strict though — airport style — and photo id required).
The restaurant is best for the views, don’t go for the food, which is adequate but typically over-​priced. I made the mistake of ordering the special of the day, roast duck, and received a starter-​size portion. Should have gone for the Château Briand which is excellent. Typically extensive wine list to match.