The martini mountain. We'll take all of these, thanks.
So - refresh our memories about Seabird.
This is the restaurant at the top of the Hoxton Hotel in Southwark. As the name indicates, it's mainly (but not all) about seafood, with a Mediterranean influence particularly. There have been some real standouts on the menu like their octopus sandwich which you'll still see popping up on Instagram (you can see our original Test Drive here).
It's also a beautiful, airy room with excellent views across town throughout the restaurant and boasts one of the city's best rooftop terraces to boot.
Where is it?
You'll find it just a few minutes from Southwark station - head for one of the highest buildings in the area and then it's up to the top floor (there's a specific lift that will get you straight there).
Once there, you have a couple of choices. If it's a nice day, then you definitely want to be on the terrace (there's a retractable roof so you'll be OK even if the rains start). Inside, aim to get a table on the far right by the window as you walk in. That has the best view, we think.
The terrace at Seabird. On a beautiful day, you'll want to be out here.
Why revisit now?
They've just launched their new "Sky High Brunch". That features brand new dishes on the menu (we'll get to those), a "martini mountain" and big new sharing cocktails.
Here's a taste of what's on offer:
Tuna tartare with sweet paprika, watermelon, radish wraps (£14). Glorious tartare which you then...
...scoop up into a lettuce and radish wrap.
Crab claw omelette with manchego and peppers (£18). Somewhat underbilled on the menu, this is more tortilla than omelette, all pleasingly gooey inside and with a generous helping of crab.
Lobster waffle and caviar (£28) - this comes with another jug of lobster bisque sauce to drizzle over along with lemon cream and caviar to top it with.
Fine patatas bravas with confit egg, bravas sauce, chives (£9) - a surprisingly light version of the dish, which is all whipped into that confit egg placed on top.
And to finish, the Manchego cheesecake (£8) - their best known dessert and one of our favourites from our first visit. That cheese just does wonders.
That's not all though. Other new dishes include the chorizo baked eggs, a seared halibut burger and more. If you haven't been previously then you should definitely consider the octopus sandwich and if you're really pushing the boat out, go for the whole lobster rice sharing dish (£95)
What about drinks?
It's a brunch - but not a bottomless one. Throughout May, everyone booking brunch here will get a martini made with Botanist gin (check out the martini mountain at the top of this page) and they've also added new sharing cocktails in big Gluggle jugs, like the "On Porpoise’" with tequila, Martini Bitter, rhubarb, strawberry & basil sherbet and soda. They're on the pricey side at £70 but will serve six (or keep less of you going on drinks for a while).
Overall thoughts
We had been impressed with our first visit to Seabird and that impression remains after a second visit. There are some wonderful and unique seafood dishes on the menu which make it work particularly well as a special occasion visit and all the new brunch dishes impress. If the weather's great and you can grab a space on the terrace, you're in for a great brunch here.
More about Seabird
Where is it? 14th Floor, 40 Blackfriars Rd, South Bank, London SE1 8PB
Find out more: Visit the website or follow the restaurant on Instagram @seabirdlondon.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Seabird. Prices are correct at the time of publication.
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