Skylon

sue

The view was the highlight 28th January 2009

7 found this helpful

After reading mixed reviews I was cautious about going to Skylon - I liked the look of the venue and the views, but was worried about the food. But when the opportunity came for three of us to dine and have two courses each for free then it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

We were dining in the Grill section, and were seated at a table by the window allowing us to enjoy the views with our meal (I had requested a window seat when I booked). Service was amiable but a little slow, and they seemed to forget about us on a couple of occasions.

Our free meal had to be ordered from the Pre-Post Theatre menu, which gave us five choices per course. Liking the sound of the desserts, we skipped starters, moving straight to mains. I had the Salmon and smoked haddock fish cake with baby leaves, sauce gribiche - I wouldn't usually order this type of dish, but I did enjoy it. My dining companions had the Confit Duck leg with puy lentils; and the Onglet with duck fat potatoes and spinach. Both dishes were happily devoured.

For dessert we had the Chocolate pecan brownie with strawberry & plum compote and vanilla ice cream (the brownie was a bit dry); the Milk chocolate mousse with praline crisp and coffee ice cream (not as good as it sounded); and the Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding (a success).

We did have a good experience at Skylon and the food was fine, even better as it was free. Not sure I would rush back though, perhaps in the future with overseas guests so they can enjoy the view.

QueenB

Nearly but not quite 22nd October 2008

2 found this helpful

I really quite like this place... shame to read the other views.

Despite having to change the time of our reservation, earlier that day, the restaurant were very accomodating. We had a drink at the bar and then taken to our table, despite being well past our reservation time no fuss was made.
Booked through Toptable we had the deal - 3 courses for £21.50, 5 choices of starters, mains and dessert with a glass of house red or white.

With a well made fresh spiced yet classic tomato soup and smoked and roasted chicken avacado salad for starters and selection of fresh breads, we were off to a simple but good start.

My leg of duck was delicious and cooked perfectly, the lentils it was served with were slightly bland but still palatable. My friend had the Onglet which was melt in the mouth as the waiter had promised, we also had a selection roasted root seasonal vegetables.
Roasted figs and a chocolate and walnut brownie with home made ice cream for desserts.

Service was impeccable, which you'd all agree is a delight in London! Views are superb as the sun set across the water if you time it right.

Even though we were on the 'cheap' menu deal, we were not frowned upon, unlike some places that offer similar deals and the waiter even gave us a drink of our choice from the wine menu, even from the selection they sell by the bottle only - which was a nice touch I thought.

For £21.50 I thought value was great - I'm not I liked the look of the prices of the full menu though, especially as portion size is verging on the small side.

The lighting was good, the noise level was a nice low hum despite it being busy, and for a smart place it didnt have stufy attitude. It would suit more business or group dinners though as its not intimate enough for an intimate date.

All in all, I would go back defintely on a deal like that. The food was good but not outstanding - maybe due to the venue you itself you expect more? I don't know but I give the place 3.5/5!

walid

Impressive Views but OK Food 13th May 2008

5 found this helpful

This is a really difficult one to rate, on one side the service was a 2 star, the venue a 5 star, and the food 3 star... ok so overall a 3 star.

Found on top of the Royal Festival Hall, Skylon has a restaurant and brasserie section. My friends and I sat in the brasserie section as we starred at the beautiful view of the south bank. With its incredibly high ceilings Skylon feels very airy and with its candles at night would probably be romantic.

The food is ok at best, I had the Merguez Couscous which wasn't very exciting in terms of taste and texture. What this place has going is that the food is reasonably priced. See picture of the menu.

The disappointment came with the quality of the service. Whilst there was an abundance of waiters it was quite difficult to get their attention and when you did the service was slowish. Additionally I overheard at least 4 times dishes / glasses being dropped by the staff.

In spite of the above issues I would recommend you give this place a try, if not for the food do it for the great views and superb airy atmosphere.

lattebird

Lofty ambitions but not quite there 13th September 2007

2 found this helpful

Much hyped recently, Skylon has a superb setting right on the river at the Royal Festival Hall. Panormic views of London, high ceilings and airy atmosphere. The food though, whilst fair is not worth any hype at all.

The fish soup was average and the lamb was tasty but not any more exceptional than a good gastro pub.

I would rate the service but then with a ratio that seemed like it was 10 staff to every diner, you'd expect good service.

I would go again, at lunchtime on a sunny day but only if I got a really special deal.

wyahaw

Love the view, shame about the food 14th July 2007

9 found this helpful

I have a rule that says that food gets worse as it gets higher: think airline food, ski lodges, revolving restaurants at the top of towers. This also applies to places with a view, as restaurant owners feel that a good view entitles them to jack up the prices 20% or so because people will be so taken with the view out of the window that they won't notice the bill.

It seems they are generally right about that, as Skylon was packed. The redevelopment of the Festival Hall completed just weeks ago and includes the Skylon restaurant in the place where the old People's Palace resided. However the refurbishment has much improved the space, which now consists of a vast, high-ceilinged room with spectacular drop windows overlooking the Thames. The menu features bistro British dishes, with three courses at £37.50 and two courses at £32.50. The wine list is very good with interesting growers from around the world, though mark-ups are fierce in places e.g. a dessert wine that retails at £16.50 for a half bottle was on the list at £75. Service is friendly though a little slipshod in places e.g. wine was not topped up on occasion, and there was a painfully long gap between the main course and dessert.

The meal began with tube-shaped slivers of chicken liver pate on toast, which was pleasant though not very strong in flavour (3/10). My starter of carpaccio of scallops with chorizo was surprisingly bland, enlivened by some toasted almonds but with capers that had little impact on the dish (2/10). A salad of Cornish crab on an avocado mousse was better, topped with a few coriander leaves and a few baby tomatoes (4/10).

Wild salmon from Scotland was surprisingly limited in flavour, though cooked correctly, served with a watercress cream and pomme mousseline (3/10). Chateaubriand was cooked well enough but had only fair quality beef, served with mash flavoured with truffle, a little spinach and a tiny amount of madeira sauce (2/10). Dessert of crepes Suzette was done in the traditional way, flambeed at the table, but the pancakes were much too thick. It is possible they were pre-bought pancakes but either way they should have been light and thin rather than plump and heavy (2/10).

I was hoping for more from chef Helena Puolakka, who worked for Pierre Koffmann at the Berkeley and cooked really well in her stint at Sonnys. She is "executive chef", which I presume means she is not very hands on, though I saw her here this evening. Overall I loved the room and the view but was rather disappointed by the cooking, especially given the hardly bargain prices. But still, there is that view.....