London's Dining Couple Oblix at The Shard Review

Oblix is one of the restaurants (Hutong and Aqua) at the Shard with amazing views of the London skyline. As a whole, going to the shard to eat, or drink at any of the bars in the restaurants, is an experience one should partake at least once. We’ve been to Hutong a few times for brunch, Aqua once for breakfast (my birthday a couple years ago), and Oblix twice for dinner at the Lounge & bar area. So this blog will focus entirely on the experience of dinner at the lounge & bar area of Oblix.

First time we went to Oblix, which is on the 32^nd Floor of the Shard, which itself is a minute away from London Bridge station, we went for just the bar experience after my birthday dinner. Shiima reserved a table at the lounge, but unknown to her it was a dinner reservation, because you cant reserve a place just for drinks. That night to be polite we duly ordered our second desert in a couple hours. I ordered the New York cheesecake and she ordered the chocolate brownie sundae; the cheesecake was delicious! And with that knowledge, we reserved a place for dinner a couple weeks later. That was a while ago, but last weekend Shiima, my brother, my sister, and I went for dinner at the lounge & bar area.

The décor of Oblix Lounge & bar area is as expected, low comfortable sofas with low tables beside the bar and further into the lounge there are high bar tables with high chairs, and that end seems endlessly vibrant. For those that enjoy a drink at a bar, I imagine Oblix Lounge will come highly recommended. Plus, you get the really good panoramic view of London’s skyline through the floor the ceiling windows. I must add that the staff are all polite, patient, and eager to please.

What we ordered

The menu is quite substantial for a “lounge”, I cant imagine the difference between this menu and that of the restaurant. To start, Shiima ordered padron peppers, I ordered Tuna tartare and Fried Octopus with avocado and coriander, and my sister ordered the smoked salmon flatbread. For mains, Shiima and my brother ordered the rotisserie free range chicken, my sister ordered grilled salmon (she evidently loves Salmon lol) and I ordered the bbq black cod with coriander salsa (I certainly love cod lol).

Review of the food

Starters

The pick of the starters was certainly the fried octopus; lightly seasoned and equally lightly fried, and it was meaty and delicious. The tuna tartare didn’t really have a seasoning to it, although the nice runny yolk gave it extra flavour. The smoked salmon flatbread tasted pretty much like a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich; if you like that, you’d love this. The pardon peppers were … I don’t quite remember lol, but I’m sure they were about par, because if below or above par I’m sure Shiima would’ve mentioned it.

MAINS

The rotisserie chicken was really good. It wasn’t my main, but I certainly had my fair share lol. It wasn’t really seasoned, but it was cooked to perfection as it was succulent, leaving you to enjoy the best of the chicken’s innate taste, just what you’d hope for from a rotisserie chicken. Shiima had her chicken with a side order of duck fat roast potatoes, which she loved because they were soft inside but crunchy on the outside (and she really likes potatoes! lol). The bbq black cod was unexpectedly really good; it wasn’t marinated in miso or anything spicy, which puts it at a disadvantage with me, but again it was cooked really well and seasoned lightly with a sweet undertone. I didn’t taste my sister’s Grilled salmon, but she enjoyed it – maybe because she loves Salmon anyway, who knows lol.

Dessert

On my recommendation, we ordered two cheesecakes for the table and devoured it. It was just as delicious as the first time I had it.

Verdict

Oblix is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, I imagine if I did drink alcohol I’d be a regular at the bar because I like the environment and the views of the London skyline. For food it also quite good, although I wont ever be a regular because the food generally lacks that spice kick I love, and, equally importantly, Oblix is expensive, but that is to be expected. I recommend Oblix lounge for special occasions in small groups (4 to 6 people), a relaxed but romantic date, or deep-pocketed folks who want to enjoy a meal whilst they drink at a top-notch environment.

Dress Code: Smart
Cuisine: Oven and Charcoal Grill focused contemporary dishes
Amen’s Star Dish: New York Cheesecake
Shiima’s Star Dish: Duck Fat potatoes
Price: £50+ each (without alcoholic drinks)
Ratings: 4.6 out of 5