Skylon

Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX

How well I recall the excitement and enormous sense of relief in 1951 as Britain sought to shake off WW2 blues and the Festival Hall emerged as a major piece of post war frivolity. The Skylon was a focal point and the same can be said of the Skylon restaurant, grill and brasserie that are centrepieces of the new complex, all with commanding views across the river to Westminster and beyond. The restaurant is under the guidance of Helena Puolakka, with signature dishes of butter poached lobster with a grapefruit and cashew nut salad, or wild Scottish salmon confit with watercress cream. Starters include morels fricassee, or roast apricots with young girolles and hazelnuts, pea shoot salad and chestnut honey dressing.

How well I recall the excitement and enormous sense of relief in 1951 as Britain sought to shake off WW2 blues and the Festival Hall emerged as a major piece of post war frivolity. The Skylon was a focal point and the same can be said of the Skylon restaurant, grill and brasserie that are centrepieces of the new complex, all with commanding views across the river to Westminster and beyond.

The restaurant is under the guidance of Helena Puolakka, with signature dishes of butter poached lobster with a grapefruit and cashew nut salad, or wild Scottish salmon confit with watercress cream.

Starters include morels fricassee, or roast apricots with young girolles and hazelnuts, pea shoot salad and chestnut honey dressing. Amongst main courses expect to find chateaubriand for two with truffle pomme purée, spinach and Madeira jus, or caramelised lamb shoulder panfried fillet and kidneys and griotte marmalade. Britain is well remembered in the crispy parcel of Braeburn apple with vanilla rice pudding and Calvados sauce.

An extensive and truly worldly wine list has the grace to include an English Nyetimber (the best sparkling wine in the world in 2006). For those wishing to indulge in a real gesture of nostalgia look no further than the 1951 Chateau Latour.

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Modern British, Modern European

: 12:00 - 14:30 17:30 - 22:30
: 12:00 - 16:00
: 11:00 - 01:00
: 12:00 - 22:30

020 7654 7800

Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX [Map]

£32.00    £40.00

£23.50 (2 courses) to £27.50 (3 courses), £28.50 (2 courses) to £31.50 (3 courses), Sun

£26.75 (2 courses) to £30.75 (3 courses)

(Avg Price is the average cost per person for two courses, coffee, half a bottle of house wine and tip/service)

REVIEWS OF Skylon

Roger Rose (2 March 2008)

From the outset, the service from the young and obviously well trained staff was outstanding. We did not feel in the least pushed. We were referred to by name, and menus were given to us promptly. Almost immediately, a champagne trolley appeared, and the delightful way in which this was offered encouraged us to go for something we would not normally have done.

Our order was taken promptly by a waitress who clearly knew the dishes, and when my wife suggested quail as a starter, she advised us that this might take 20 minutes or so to prepare. In the end we chose scallops and tornados from a very tempting menu of about ten starters and ten main courses. A full page of wines by the glass was offered from which we chose a pleasant full-bodied Rioja. We had one dessert between us and coffee/tea.

The food was outstanding, and preceded by not only a taster but also a small introductory dish as a starter for the scallops. These were done to perfection and the steaks were light and juicy and accompanied by little individual pots with delicately sliced potatoes.

Though we were not at all concerned about delay, we were told at one point that our main course would arrive in a couple of minutes, and this was exactly what happened. There was at all times an awareness of what we needed and when. The restaurant was full, and we were therefore glad to be in a part that was carpeted as this kept the noise to a completely acceptable level. There is a superb view over the river from most of the tables.

The bill came to £133 for the two of us including 12.5% service. It would obviously have been less if we had not had champagne and tea/coffee, but we felt ourselves encouraged by the ambiance of the restaurant and its delightful staff to "push the boat out", enjoy the atmosphere and spend more than we normally would. We would strongly recommend the restaurant, especially for the kind of occasion we were celebrating, and consider that it offers good value for money.

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More Info for Skylon

£19.00

£19.00

Not included, 12.5% for 8 or more




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Skylon

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Book Restaurant: Sunday Lunch: 2 courses £25.50 from a set menu and 3 courses £29.50. Includes VAT, excludes service. This offer is available until 29th of February 2012, subject to availability, as displayed in the booking interface. Offer excludes service and includes VAT. Not available in conjunction with any offer
Offer valid to 29 February 2012

Book Restaurant: Market Lunch Menu: 2 courses £24.50 from a set menu (3 courses £28.50) This offer is available subject to availability, as displayed in the booking interface. Offer excludes service and includes VAT. Not available in conjunction with any offer. Offer available until 29 February 2012
Offer valid to 29 February 2012

Book Valentine's Day Menu, £95 with a glass of Champagne This offer is available for dinner on 14th February 2012 only and is subject to availability as displayed in the booking interface. Offer excludes service and includes VAT. Not available in conjunction with any offer
Offer valid to 14 February 2012

Special Offers

Cafe Rouge - Greenwich O2

South of the River - East

Valentine's Menu: 3 courses and a glass of Crémant de Bourgogne - £25 per person

ASK - Spice Quay

South of the River - East

Valentine's Set Menu: 3 courses and a glass of Prosecco - £16.95 per person.

Prezzo - Greenwich

South of the River - East

Prezzo Valentine's Menu: 3 Course for £18.95, add your first glass of prosecco for £1

Le Pont de la Tour

South of the River - East

3 courses and a glass of Champagne £30 (2 hour return time, available from a set menu)

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