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p>Skylon, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London SE1 8XX
'Skylon' takes its name from the towering futuristic steel structure that was the iconic symbol of the 1951 Festival of Britain. Designed to cheer the spirits of a nation ravaged and bankrupted by six years of world war, the festival looked ahead to an era of prosperity, quality and calm. Judging from my last two visits to Skylon, the restaurant captures the essence of these objectives in just about everything it does.
Located on the mezzanine level of the Royal Festival Hall, Skylon offers two dining options - a Grill and the more formal Restaurant - and a high-class cocktail bar. The place is packed every night of the week, and places in the bar are particularly sought after from mid-afternoon to late at night.
The Grill provides comforting food at a fair price and tends to attract a younger or more budget-conscious crowd. Sharing one end of the same long, high ceilinged space - accentuated by soaring floor-to-ceiling windows providing jaw-dropping views of the River Thames and its London skyline - the Restaurant has generously-spaced tables draped by flawless white tablecloths and elegantly dressed with good cutlery and fine glassware.
Its menu is unpretentious and nicely balanced, as is the wine list. The waiting staff are impeccable and perform their duties with skill and charm. On the young side, they take an obvious pride in their work and appear genuinely pleased to serve. They glide rather than walk; and requests are accommodated wherever possible. Importantly, the food is really very good: precisely cooked with locked-in flavours that leave the palate satisfied but not overwhelmed.
Being located within one of London's premier live entertainment centres, Skylon benefits from the flow of theatre and concert-goers seeking libation or sustenance before or after their entertainment. Comprising an eclectic mix of sturdy suburbanites, business 'suits', grungy hipsters, and a generous helping of tourists, it all helps paint a picture of a city that's enjoying itself. I haven't seen London so pleased with itself since the heady days of the 1980s. A visit to Skylon - back then known as the 'People's Palace' - provides a sense of this. Whether it persists remains to be seen.
Top Tip: Throughout the year, the Royal Festival Hall offers a programme of world-class entertainment - from classical to pop music; theatre to live art. Choose something or someone you've been meaning to catch for a while and enjoy the wonderful mid-twentieth century architecture of its interior. Then go to Skylon for an early or late dinner. But...book ahead.
Nearby Watering Hole: Skylon's uber-cool bar is a destination in its own right and the Festival Hall is surrounded by packed, trendy drinking spots. But if you fancy something a bit more pubby or traditional, take a ten-minute walk across the Thames to Northumberland Avenue by means of the modernistic part-railway, part-pedestrian Hungerford Bridge.
Here, halfway up at 10-11 Northumberland Street, you'll find the Sherlock Holmes Pub. A shrine to the Great Detective, its faux-Victorian interior is complemented by a first-floor dining room and a recreation of Holmes' rooms at 221b Baker Street.
Serving decent Real Ales and popular with a down-to-earth drinking clientele, the Sherlock Holmes provides a nice counterpoint to the sleek and shiny elegance of Skylon and the South Bank.
In a continuing series of features, Bob Sturges of Omni Capital offers a personal view on some of London's finest, if not always best-known, restaurants....
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