Members only fine dining “delivered in elegant, minimalistic surroundings” with a fantastic 360° panorama from 180 metres above London in one of its most iconic buildings: Yeah, lunch (or any excuse to visit) at the top of the Gherkin makes an impression. Fortunately, so does the food.
Head chef Arnaud Stevens competently crafts dishes that are pretty enough to pull your eyes away from the stunning views. Case in point: Cardigan Bay smoked mussels, bread velouté and crisp suckling belly for starters followed by a main course of black pork neck, Harissa braised cheek, Trealy Farm black pudding and banana potatoes and rounded off by poached pink rhubarb and custard for puds. Realising Stevens is committed to creating such delicacies with locally sourced, seasonal and sustainable produce yields an even loftier appreciation of having a meal at Searcys.
And it all adds up to an especially gorgeous lunch that's priced plain and simple. Two courses cost £42; three cost £49; and four (starter, main, dessert and a cheese course) are £59. Oh sure, that's expensive. But with the “oh wow” view, the presentation and quality of the dishes as well as the top notch service, it doesn't seem like such an exorbitant charge. Besides, unless you run marathons on a regular basis, such lavish feasting is probably best left for special occasions.
The only real bummer about this place is you've got to be a member or have been invited by one to savour such a lovely experience. They do weddings and civil partnership packages that are competitively priced though, and membership fees are comparable to those at similar clubs.
Searcys, The Gherkin is located at 30 St Mary Axe, EC3A 8EP.
Photography/Chris Osburn