Quirky, quality local

 No. 97 is just a short walk away, looks interesting and I've often thought we should give it a try. But when I've looked online at the menu, it always seemed rather limited and a bit odd, so we had never actually been there. Then our friend gave us a gift voucher for the place, so we decided it would be a good place to go with another friend D. 

After I've booked a table for three, D says she'd like to ask her friend C along. Naturally, we say fine, but then have to wait a week before C decides whether he is coming or not. But we assume upgrading a table for 3 to one for 4 should be easy enough.  On the day before the booking, we hear that yes he would like to come. I try to modify the booking on Open Table, but it only offers me ones "outside" and much later than our previous booking. I wait until the restaurant opens and ring them up. Indeed, they can't fit us in as a 4 in the restaurant, but can put us in the Conservatory - fully under cover and heated, we are assured. So we go for that. We wonder how tight a squeeze the table for 3 would have been.

Then on the day, C decides that he won't come after all! But we leave the booking as it is. When we go along, the restaurant does seem full and we are walked through, outside a little way and then into the Conservatory, where apparently we will be the only ones there. It has heaters blasting away. The waiter explains it had been cold earlier, but that if gets too much they can turn some off. 

We're a little concerned that being out on our own, the service might not be very good.  But the waiter returns quite quickly with complementary sparkling water, and we can order our wine - a South African Chenin Blanc at £34. This comes quickly too, followed shortly by focaccia slices with flavoured butters - smoked paprika (quite spicy) and caramelised garlic - when he then takes our food order. 

There is a set menu with only three choices per course (in the evening I think there are four choices). D chooses the Barbary duck. This comes as a pink piece of duck breast, together is a sort of croquette of duck leg. Not a large portion, but pretty rich and full of flavour. B has the kimchi cured salmon, with blackened sesame seeds. She is very impressed, and this is a good size too.  She remarks on it when the waiter clears the plates, and he says it's his favourite that had only just been put on the menu. I have the third option - curried sweet potato dhal. This too is full of flavour, with coriander and coconut and a warming lentil taste. I mop it up with the last piece of bread, so it's quite filling too.

One of the three choices for main is harissa aubergine, but that's not hacking it. D and B both have the katsu chicken. This also is pieces of breast together with a croquette, and is served on a bed of cauliflower rice, with pieces of cashew nut. The katsu sauce is a puddle on the side, rather than drenching the meat. B thinks the dish is very good, though she finds the sauce a little salty. I have the pollock topped with caviar, on tenderstem broccoli. The waiter suggested that I order potatoes with it, and he's right, the portion would have been a bit small on its own. The fish is delicate, but just right, the broccoli al dente, but the potatoes are on the soggy side. 

B is too full for dessert, and neither D not I fancy the rhubarb. So we both have the white chocolate with coconut and mango sorbet. The chocolate is OK, and the mango excellent. 

All the dishes have been very attractively presented - ideal for Instagram. The service continued to be good throughout, though for a while the waiter was replaced by a waitress - both were chatty and friendly. When the waiter returned, he explained he'd been called into the "most bizarre" 15 minute team meeting!

We had three bottles of wine, so the bill got up to £220 for the three of us (£27 for 2 courses, £32 for 3).  We have all enjoyed the meals, and they were definitely quality, and unusual. We'd happily go back, but wonder how often the limited menu changes.  The restaurant is part of a small group which includes Hideaway, a small riverside bar at the end of our road with a lovely terrace. That too has an odd menu - brunch dishes ("bennies") and more whipped avocado you would ever need at lunchtime, and a limited range of tapas (small plates) from 5.30pm.  It's also linked to the "Good Life" gin company (get it?) and has a gin bar.  

Definitely glad we got there in the end. 

High in the Sky

 Our friend S had commented that he thought the restaurant at the top of the Gherkin was pretty good, better value for money than the Oxo Tower Brasserie. So when it came to finding somewhere to go for 6 of us for my birthday, I thought it worth a try.  The restaurant is called Helix and is run by Searcey's. The nearest I could get a table was a few days before the actual day, and it then transpired the others couldn't make that date, so I changed it to just the two of us.

At the ground floor reception we have to go through an airport style security check, then take a lift to the 34th floor. There we are relieved of our coats, and take a second lift to the 39th floor. There is a bar on the floor above with a 360 degree view apparently, but we go straight to our table, a nice one by the window. Unfortunately the weather isn't very good, so the view is a bit limited - and the window isn't very clean either, which doesn't help. There are also quite a few tall buildings nearby. Nonetheless, we can see the top of Monument, some of the river and views down to the towers at Nine Elms, and in another direction the Barbican and St Pancras station.

Most of the tables by the window are for two people - there is one for 5. If there had been 6 of us we may have had to sit further inside with less of a view.  When we arrive only two of the other tables are occupied, but there is something about the music playing (upbeat 80's) and the hard surfaces that makes hearing difficult.  But surprisingly as it fills up that seems to improve. It does get very nearly completely full, with all the window tables and most of the second row taken. Many of these are people having afternoon tea and champagne. 

The friendly waiter takes our order for wine - the best I could find was a SA Chenin Blanc (Kleine Zalze) at £46!  He then brings some bread - two rolls, with butter on a slate.  The set menu options are very limited - just 4 dishes a course. So avoiding the heritage beetroot and pumpkin soup, we choose chicken liver parfait (me) and smoked salmon (B). The parfait is unremarkable, coming with "soldiers" of brioche, but B is more impressed with her salmon, which comes with a good sharp horseradish cream.

There's "heritage" on the main course options too - cauliflower with gnocchi. Instead I have the beef and oyster sauce, with some chips (triple cooked, obvs).  The sauce comes in a smart copper jug, with actual pieces of oyster.  There's a nice onion compote too. But the beef itself is seriously unimpressive. It's more like pulled beef or even a tin of braised beef. B has the Goosnargh chicken which comes with lentils and kale. The chicken is tasty and moist, with some good skin. It is however just a simple roast chicken, nothing special. 

So far, so disappointing. But things brighten up with the desserts. My chocolate and malt tart is lovely bitter chocolate on a crisp base, well supported by candied orange.  B eventually chooses the Black Forest pavlova, when she realises it isn't the gateau. This with its kirsch cream and cherries is also a success. 

The set menu is £54 a head (the sparkling afternoon tea is £56), so with a second bottle of wine, the chips and standard 12.5% that brings the bill to a whopping £230.  Staff have been friendly and fairly attentive (though this dropped off a bit as the place filled up - there seemed to be more supervisors than servers).  But overall not value for money I felt, despite the view, and I was glad in the end that it hadn't been the 6 of us.