The river view from Oblix East
In a nutshell
We haven't been to anything in The Shard for a good long while, so the launch of a new Happy Hour dinner at high rise restaurant and bar Oblix was just the thing to entice us in again. They've taken inspiration from the New York adult Happy Meal that's been gaining traction across the Atlantic - think hard liquor and light bites.
Where exactly is it?
You'll find Oblix up on the 32nd floor of The Shard. A word of advice - factor in the time it will take you to get through the security checks downstairs (we were queueing for about ten minutes before we made it as far as the lifts).
Oblix is split into two parts, depending on which part of London you've got a view over. We were in the bar and lounge part, Oblix East. If there's anyone who doesn't get a little frisson from having such a bird's eye view of our city then honestly we feel for you. We loved our window table looking out over the City and towards Canary Wharf where you're so high up that it takes you a while to realise the small, squat building across the river is actually the Tower of London.
What precisely are the constituent parts of a Happy Hour meal?
There are three key options in the Oblix offering - they do fried chicken and a glass of Piper Heidsieck for £24, fried chicken and caviar for £38, and martini and fries for £16. We ended up, as we expect most people will, doing a mash-up of all three options. (Vegetarians can swap out the chicken for buttermilk cauliflower instead).
Drinks with a view - Dirty martini and Champagne are part of the package. The martini in particular was a very good iteration of the classic Dirty Martini with a homemade brine, made with white wine vinegar, black pepper, bay leaves, cardamon and kaffir lime.
The Happy Hour Meal full combo - the chicken with the honey lime and chilli glaze was our favourite on the night.
What else is on the bar snacks menu?
There are plenty of options from general snackage through to larger options like a burgers section. Here are a few more dishes we tried.
Our waiter recommended what he described as a pyramid of truffled buttermilk chicken (£42) - it's a very good sharing option.
Spicy tuna tartare (£19) on a bed of avocado with toasted rice and flying fish roe for extra texture.
Truffled flatbread with pancetta and ricotta (£19)
Why you should go
On a Saturday night before Christmas, Oblix East was a great place to go if you wanted to dress up and go 'out out' without having to go somewhere too lairy. Staff, although rushed off their feet in the festive rush, couldn't have been more friendly and lovely. There was entertainment - a singer and a DJ and the views really are of the 'I can see my home from here' level good. Cocktails are well made and decently priced and martini and fries remain an unbeatable combo in our eyes. Go and have fun.
More about Oblix
Where is it? The Shard, 31 St Thomas St, London SE1 9RY
How to book: book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @oblixrestaurant
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Oblix. Prices correct at time of publication.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
