The main appeal of eating at Skylon was the views it promised to provide over the Thames and over Southbank. We were, unfortunately, not seated by the windows, those tables being reserved for groups of four, but the giant glass windows stretching to the roof did provide some pretty good light into the long restaurant and actually we had some alright views from our table anyway.

Another in the stable of the D&D restaurants Skylon is as classy and modern-esque as any of its stablemates. The restaurant is situated on the upper levels of Royal Festival Hall in a very tall and very long room. One side sits the grill which is separated from the restaurant by the bar. Lots of wait staff mill about with different staff being responsible for different aspects. It’s the kind of restaurant where one wait person holds the tray which holds your food and another serves it to you. It’s also the kind of restaurant which “finishes” your dish in front of you by, for example, pouring the final sauce over your food.

Sandra and I were taking advantage of (yet another) toptable offer so were dining off a special set meal. Choices were fairly limited and both Sandra and I ended up with nearly exactly the same meal with only our starters being different. Sandra opted for the Smoked Mackerel and I went with the Beetroot Salad with Goat’s Cheese.

I can’t speak for the Smoked Mackerel but the Beetroot Salad was divine. The Goat’s Cheese has been breaded and fried and were still perfectly warmed when they served my meal. It makes such a great combination with the beetroot both in flavour and texture.

For our mains we opted for a pork belly dish. Served over cucumber and roasted potatoes and topped with some frothy concoction it was beautifully presented. Surprisingly the pork belly wasn’t tender and actually was a bit tough. Portion-size wasn’t huge by any stretch of the imagination either.

Our dessert was a cherry and white chocolate combination with a cherry mouse, cherry sorbets, cherry of course, and a white chocolate mousse topping a white sponge. In keeping with the whole theme’s evening the dish was very well presented and also small in portions. Ha ha. It was really tasty though

The service at Skylon was impeccable except for one waitress who was a bit grumpy and wasn’t very good at filling up our water. Pleasingly the staff were happy to let Sandra and I sit at our table for as long as we wanted. We noted that other tables, who were eating off the main a la carte menu, were also served amuse bouches at the start and before dessert was served which are the additional touches that Skylon provide. I love looking at the food that other people order – the two dishes that caught my eye was the whole roast baby chicken, foie gras, perigord truffle, pomme puree which is carved at the table (quite a dramatic show) and the baked alaska for dessert which is put on fire by the table!

Overall a pleasant evening.