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Oblix East
The Shard
As a child I loved the series of books about Asterix the Gaul and his constant battles with the Roman army which surrounded his village, but my favourite character was his reliable sidekick who always wanted to have the magic potion that Asterix drank, but was never allowed it. The sidekick’s name was Obelix, so my interest was piqued by a restaurant named after this loveable character housed in the Shard, until I realised the difference in spelling!
The Shard is, in my view, one of the most beautiful buildings in London. It dominates the skyline just next to London Bridge station, and I have been passing it on my way to work for years, but had never ventured up it until now, and I’m sure it won’t be long until my next visit. The Shard is the UK’s tallest building rising to over 1000 ft in height, and has 95-storeys, and our destination was the 32nd floor which houses Oblix, the restaurant, not the literary character!
The Options
Oblix offers the diner two options, as it is split into two restaurants, East and West, each offering a different experience as well as a different view of London. Oblix West serves an array of global classic dishes from its rotisserie and charcoal grill and its open kitchen has a vibrant feel, whereas Oblix East has a more contemporary and relaxed vibe which still offers an innovative mix of seasonal dishes and a bar bites menu. We opted for the more relaxed vibe and followed a dark corridor not too different from a corridor in an Egyptian tomb, and entered Oblix East, a light and airy room with stunning views of the city.
We settled down at our table just before sun set and were treated, during our meal, to an ever changing view as the sun set and the lights of London were turned on.
The Menu
The menu is simple, but offers enough choice to even the most demanding of diners. Starters are designed to be shared, almost tapas style, and we selected the Crispy Squid Chilli and Lime (£9.50), Fried Octopus, sweet pepper garlic and olive oil mayonnaise (£16), Soft Shell Crab and chilli mayonnaise (£15) and a Burrata, olives and datterini tomatoes (£15). The light batter on the squid was perfectly offset by the hint of lime and the octopus was crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside, accompanied by a subtle mixture of flavours in the mayonnaise. The true star of our starters however, was the burrata, with its wonderful creaminess juxtaposed by the slightly sharp mashed olives and crunchy granola, a wonderfully designed dish.
Mains are split into two sections meat and fish & vegetarian. I selected the 300g Rib Eye (£36) which melted in my mouth and my wife selected the BBQ Black Cod & coriander salsa (£42) which is such an underrated fish especially when cooked this well. Crunchy chips (£5.5) and tenderstem broccoli (£7) rounded off our mains. After all that food we paused for a while and sipped our wine whilst enjoying the amazing view and listened to the contented murmur of other diners having a good time.
To Conclude ...
Dessert is well worth waiting for and are all priced at £10. I selected the Chocolate Brownie Sundae which reminded me of my childhood favourite dessert, the knickerbocker glory, where I used to dig down to find the fruit, but here I was digging for the crunchy chocolate brownie. My wife selected the warm and crispy Apple Pie with sherry & raisin ice cream which the moist and comforting apple surrounded by light and crispy pastry.
Oblix offers great food in a relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere with amazing views of London. Even if you just want a drink this is well worth a visit.
