If you’re looking for place to impress a date or mark a celebration, than Oblix at The Shard comes top of the list.
The 32nd floor eatery boasts unparalleled views of London, a mouth-watering menu and there are two areas which offer a completely different vibe.
In Oblix West the dining area is sophisticated with an open kitchen to entertain, while over in the East section, the style’s slightly more informal with a long bar and live music to keep you merry into the night.
I zoomed up to Oblix on a Wednesday night and the place had a great buzz with expectant diners streaming into the place.
After checking in, I was shown to my table by one of the helpful hostesses and we sashayed past the open kitchen areas where hunks of meat were on display and chefs busily chopped and crafted away.
With the day turning to night, the restaurant had the perfect ambience with swathes of wood and golden downlighters creating a classy yet cosy mood.
From the get go, the service was on point with our jolly server coming to introduce himself.
He explained that the food at Oblix is more of a sharing style and he suggested ordering a few starters to dissect, followed by mains.
While we perused the pretty extensive list of offerings, we grazed on some deliciously large garlic and thyme marinated olives.
We finally shot for soft shell crab with chilli mayonnaise, fried octopus, and truffle flatbread to start, followed by a portion of bbq black cod, accompanied by tenderstem broccoli and a caeser salad.
This meze of treats was spot on, with the fried octopus and succulent cod being particular favourites. The caeser salad was also artfully presented with wedges of lettuce, wafer-thin slices of bread, and ham shavings carefully sandwiched.
I’d say the only downside to Oblix, is it that if you’re vegetarian, finding a suitable meal might prove tricky with meat and seafood being the solid stock.
The night we dined, we could only see two vege options on the main course menu – both pasta dishes – and in the starter section there were three differed salad options.
As we grazed away on our decadent feast we dipped into the nicely-presented cocktail menu.
The waiter advised me to try a Kiss the Rainbow, as I wanted a vodka-based drink, but the mix of Ketel One citroen vodka, lime
The classic vodka olive martini I ordered next however, was perfectly balanced and the olives were nice and buttery.
After polishing off our spread of bites, our waiter suggested moving to the East wing to have dessert so we could listen to the band playing.
This was the perfect way to end the evening.
A slice of devilishly moreish chocolate torte-like cake with toe-tapping tunes to gorge on.
Oblix certainly left a sweet taste in my mouth. One that I will savour until the next occasion beckoning me back to level 32 strikes.
Oblix is located at The Shard, 31 St Thomas St, London SE1 9RY
To book a table call 020 7268 6700 or visit www.oblixrestaurant.com