Sky-high Dining in London

Eating out for me is the ultimate treat, and with so many amazing new restaurants opening in London every week, i'm often spoilt for choice for where to hit up next! Two of the newer kids in town Sushi Sumba and Duck & Waffle, both housed in the spectacular Heron Tower, have been crying out for a 3BM visit for some time now, so I took myself along and trialled both in the same week! Greedy guts I know...

Both perched at the top of Heron Tower, the restaurants share the fastest ear-popping lift zooming up above the city's skyscrapers to reveal OMG views! Both are seriously worth a trip just for the lift ride and those sprawling views of London spread out beneath you...but the food's pretty good too!

So lets start with Sushi Samba… 

Based on the 38th floor, Sushi Samba has a smart interior with wrap-around jaw-dropping views across London. I'd say the perfect date venue if you want to really impress...

The cocktails have to be given a special mention - so tasty! My favourite being the Chu-cumber made with my absolute favourite gin, Hendricks, along with shochu, fresh lime juice, Japenese cucumber water and sweetened with homemade turmeric syrup. YUM! Moving swiftly onto the food - in short, amazing, I couldn't get enough or eat it quickly enough ... out of this world green bean tempura with black truffle aioli, melt in your mouth rock shrimp tempura and soy-marinated salmon, asparagus, sesame and wasabi mayo samba rolls... 

The restaurant also boasts a gorgeous outdoor terrace with a magnificent tree centrepiece. A bit chilly for this time of year, but the perfect summer hangout spot guaranteed to be heaving with city boys who I'm sure would be more than willing to buy a Chu-cumber or six if you bat your eyelashes a little - here's hoping! Reservations have to be made for the restaurant but for drinks you can just turn up. There was a short queue when I arrived so I wouldn't leave it too late to try and get in... 

Moving swiftly onto Duck & Waffle...

Again stunning interior design with a tad more personality than Sushi Sumba. The ceiling's packed with the most beautiful light fixtures made from glass cylinders and chunky chandeliers strung up everywhere you look. 

Image via www.cntraveller.ru

The modern European menu talked a good game too. We opted for lots of sharing dishes including the BBQ-spiced crispy pig ears and the Duck & Waffle signature dish which is a definite must-try. The combination of crispy duck leg, fried egg, waffle and mustard-seeded maple syrup may sound absolutely revolting on paper but trust me when I say, it’s mind-blowingly delish!

In conclusion I had a super evening at both restaurants and would go back to both in a New York minute! If I was forced to pick between them, I would have to say Sushi Samba has the edge but that's solely down to the food. The Sushi Samba bill was twice as much as Duck & Waffle's though... 

The only grumble I have would be about the over eager waiting staff. Some diners may find super attentive service to be a sign of a top notch restaurant, I however find it annoying and in your face. When I'm trying to enjoy a meal out with a friend in peace, I don't want to be asked every second if everything is to my palette's liking! Ask me once or twice and otherwise I'll let you know if something's off... a happy medium is all I'm after. It must be a Heron Tower thing, as both restaurants were guilty of it... tone that down and these dining spots have a runaway winning formula!

Heron Tower

110 Bishopsgate 

London 

EC2N 4AY

Sushi Samba - 020 3640 7330

Duck & Waffle - 020 3640 7310