Oxo Tower Restaurant, The

At the very heart of the South Bank, next to Blackfriars Bridge, lies Oxo Tower Wharf. Built as a power station for the GPO, the Wharf, has housed many businesses over the years, but most notably was home to the Oxo cube in the 1930s. The landmark tower, which 'subtly' advertised the product in its art deco windows, was built to get round an advertising ban imposed by the LCC.

The Restaurant was designed by award winning architects Lifschutz Davidson, who are no strangers to the South Bank, with local housing and office projects to their credit. The design incorporates sleek, natural materials but remains influenced by the art deco style of the building and the presence of the river.

Echoing the design of a 1930's ocean liner, the Restaurant is an elegant space, beautiful in its simplicity. A feature is the ceiling, which is made up of double-sided louvres, white during the day, revolving to midnight blue at dusk. The windows are angled to prevent any night time reflections, enabling the diner to take full advantage of the spectacular views over the City and St Paul's Cathedral.

The restaurant seats 130 people with an additional 80 seats on the terrace for summer dining. Dinner might start with rare beef with fried Pedron peppers, or grilled Toulouse sausages with haricot bean cassoulet. Black peppered lamb rump or St Ives roasted Pollock with leek and garlic mash are amongst ten main courses of substance and original approach, followed by say, warm chestnut cake with white chocolate ice cream and rum sauce. All desserts have a recommended chosen partner from the wine list.

A handy place for lunch after a little retail extravagance, or even bracing for the strain beforehand, a three course lunch offers excellent choices with starters of French onion soup with Welsh rarebit, and crackling a wood pigeon torte laced with Cumberland sauce and watercress from a choice of six dishes. Amongst the seven main courses expect to find grilled lemon sole fillets with squid, red pepper and parsley salad or braised pork cheeks with fennel choucroute and kumquat marmalade.

Dessert of banana and caramel mousse has beside it a gentle reminder that a particular Hungarian dessert wine might mingle well it, whilst the selection of British and Irish farmhouse cheeses carry the flag for a Fonseca vintage port, 2000.

Service is of a high order, and combined with the modern elegance of the surroundings against a backdrop of one of the world's greatest cities makes for an experience which is an absolute must when in London.

The Restaurant has a bar situated on the south side of Oxo Tower that has equally stunning views thanks to the glass wall that runs down the south elevation, which at night is exclusive to Restaurant diners. In this calm environment, pre-dinner drinks can be enjoyed, with cigars and cognacs to look forward to later. A remarkable wine list of over 400 wines provides a stunning selection, spanning classic French regions, Spain, Italy and the New World.

A quick click on the Harvey Nichols Website will keep you abreast of menu changes and other Harvey Nichols related events and offers.

Photographs - Copyright Chris Gascoigne.