This week the first restaurant in The Shard will open to the public. Oblix, on the tower's 32nd floor, is a "New York style contemporary rotisserie and grill", has been developed by the German Rainer Becker and Arjun Waney, the men behind Zuma and Roka. As one might expect from such a high profile building the restaurant is a luxe affair, and boasts London's first "interactive sommelier station". Comprising a restaurant and bar lounge, it opens on 7 May. We haven't spied the menu, but in an interview with Bloomberg Becker said that diners would typically pay between £60 and £80 per person.
Oblix won't be the only restaurant in the tower for long. Later in the year, Aqua London, a modern British restaurant, will open on the 31st floor, while Hutong, a variant of a popular Hong Kong restaurant, will take the 33rd floor. If that doesn't appeal, the Shangri-La hotel, which opens in the summer, will sport a cocktail bar.
The new openings will give another reason to visit the building, which has thus far been little more than a pricey viewing platform. Though if you thought that a quick trip up to the restaurants would be cheap alternative to to the £25 View from the Shard tickets, be warned: a cover charge will be levied against any visitors to the 31st floor atrium, which can be offset against a meal.
Elsewhere, much of the building remains empty, although the first office tenant recently put pen to paper.
Photo / Chic*ka
