Another foodie post… My friend Ruth announced to me recently that she had still not given me a present for my birthday – it was in July. I quickly forgave her when she announced she was taking me to the Aqua Shard restaurant located on the 31st floor of the iconic Shard building.

The view from the ground

First things first…we enjoyed the incredible Shard breakfast martini – made with rhubarb and bay leaf compote. We were worried that it was too early at 10.30 am – but then we noticed that practically every diner had one of these glowing pink glasses.

Ruth insisted that I feature her in this post. She’s very vain

We both ordered the Shard Breakfast as we felt that if we ordered anything else we’d be missing out. I especially enjoyed the addition of the Bermondsey salted ricotta. The only element that let it down was the eggs. Not sure how they managed it but they were tasteless and watery. The service was also very slow.

The views are of course amazing

The interiors (designed by the epic architecture firm Jestico + Whiles) are slick and understated – the view is the star of the show. To see some stunning evening photos please have a look at Jestico + Whiles’s website. 

I would highly recommend requesting a window seat if there are just two of you eating. When we were seated we asked to move to one but were told that it was against their ‘policy’ to move people.

I would love to go back for dinner and for a cocktail at Gong. I  hope to go up to the viewing platform – on floors 68,69 and 72 in October. They have a deal where kids go free for half term. They are even offering some yoga classes for £40 and a silent disco.

Thank you Ruth for my lovely present!