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SKYLON

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Fifties decor, bronze chandeliers and good, solid British food.

Where? Royal Festival Hall, London SE1 (020 7654 7800, www.skylonrestaurant.co.uk)

Mood? Fifties. Design firm Conran & Partners is behind the restaurants interior, which pays homage to the building's Fifties heritage. It houses five dramatic bronze chandeliers, a limestone bar serving classic cocktails and both a formal dining room and a more relaxed grill area. Best feature of all however, is the view across the Thames.

To Eat? Happily, the fifties theme doesn't extend to the food. Chef Helena Puolakka (ex-fifth floor at Harvey Nichols) is one of the few women to lead a major London restaurant and has produced a menu that reads, aptly enough, like a festival of Britain: pea soup with Yorkshire ham tartine; roast organic lamb with new potatoes; scone bread and butter pudding with vanilla custard. A three course meal is around £40.

Why Go? The Skylon was a rocket-like tower that formed the centrepiece of the Festival of Britain in 1951. The structure was demolished, but near it's original site comes Skylon mark II - the first restaurant from D&D London (formerly Conran Restaurants) - at the Grade-I listed Royal Festival Hall, which has had a £91 million revamp.

Need to know? If Skylon is beyond your budget, other new eateries around the Royal Festival Hall include Brazilian chain Las Iguanas (www.iguanas.co.uk) and dim sum served at Ping Pong (www.pingpongdimsum.com).

SPECIAL OFFER: From 25 July- 2 September, see Carmen Jones at the Royal Festival Hall and enjoy a two-course theatre menu with interval drinks at Skylon from £65 per person. Call 0871 663 2584 to book this package.

More cultured venues?
The Arts Restaurant Cambridge Arts Theatre, 6 St Edward's Passage, Cambridge (01223 367333). An East-meets-West menu wins applause at this glass-walled dining room.
McCoys Rooftop Restaurant Baltic, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead (0191 4404949, www.mccoysbaltic.com). Modern British cooking served against Newcastle's skyline.


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Review by Review by Ben McCormack

Release date: Thursday 26 July 2007

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