If you´re following me for a while, you must know one of my favourite places in London is Searcys at the Gherkin. They host the most amazing events in the city and this time around, i got a unique experience to review their brand new restaurant Helix.

Helix restaurant offers sky-high contemporary dining at both lunch and dinner with majestic views across the city. A proud celebration of British produce in one of London’s most beautiful landmarks.

Now, let me tell you about our experience, we were received with a glass of the most fantastic champagne, a delightful taste as soon as we were sitting at the table. The Menu seemed like it’s made in heaven and landed from the sky on the top of the building, below the highlights:

The starters where delicious, we went for the Confit Suffolk Chicken with a slow-cooked Burford Brown egg and sweetcorn. The Dorset crab apple grapes, soy and sesame, The presentation is terrific and the taste of everything it’s genuinely delicious. We also had the Burrata Mozzarella heritage tomato, with basil and black olives witch give us a refreshing taste before the main courses.

Searcys has one of the best wines selections in London, we where give few to try with the different meal options. I have to highlight Meursault Les Rougeots Coche Dury (Domaine) 2014. If you know a little about wines, you must know that is one of the world’s leading figures for the vinification of white wines. Meursault Les Rougeots exudes intense aromas of honey, toast, and hazelnut. The palate is rich, rounded, and extremely precise. This wine should be aged for ten years before drinking. There are only 15 locations in the city where you can try whine, the purchase is only by action.

Believe this is the type of experiences makes your dinner feel unique.

Let´s talk about the main courses; this is when the review get serious, I asked the manager, If were possible to greet the chef and to take some snaps at the kitchen. We got a chance to view how they were preparing our main courses, The only way you can make the perfect meal is with knowledge, passion and attention to detail. Also, this is exactly what i perceived as soon as i saw the chef working with my own eyes. The Executive Chef Daniel Loftin, previously head chef at Royal House London and Peninsula Restaurant, delivering a formula that put seasonal and local produce centre stage curses.

For our mains, we choose the Gressingham duck chicory, fig, egg, honey pecans. The meat was cooked perfectly, i tend to have a preference for low cook meat, and this one was a mouth melting experience with an explosion of the most fabulous flavours. My friend went for the Line-Caugh octopus and sea vegetable, the perfect recipe that will immerse you under the sea.

To follow, we were offered to choose from the most delicious dessert menu you can imagine. Im not joking – I don´t consider myself a sweet tooth type of person, but i can tell you no one in the world can resist this temptation. I went for the lemon tart meringue, raspberries, Creme Fraiche ice cream on top, and as per my latino guest, she went for the Macondo Colombian Cholate banana & salt caramel. She described as the best dessert she has ever had, this is coming from a bord and race Colombian lady.

To finish off, we were invited us to try the most fantastic selection of British cheese, the perfect compliment with the best sweet wine, in this case, Kracher Burgenland Austrian wine from 2013.

The night would not have a better ending that upstairs at the Irish bar.
As a truly London Landmark, Searcys at Gherkin has the best cocktail selection you can find all around the city, the best of is the way they’ve named each of them, with the most popular location that this fantastic city has to offer.

Hebe SHOREDITCH? Jack the Ripper WHITECHAPEL? Brixton Pound BRIXTON or The little white bird KENSINGTON GARDENS?

I wet for the million dollar bill CANARY WHARF, right up my street: Armagnac with cocoa nibs, caramel, port reduction, whiskey bitter. Hits the spot for Old Fashioned lovers, an enriched smoky version of this beloved classic. Must let you know my birthday recently and the guys brought me a sweet treat, that i must say was delicious.

After months working with the Searcys group, I got to know some of the staff a the gherkin location, the only i can tell you is that they are highly professional and they deliver the best services you can get on a high-end dining experience, i can also tell you as a personal level they are extremely friendly and pressure to work with.

I would like firstly thank the Searcys at Gherkin team for inviting me over,
a special shout out to Karim LeCloarec the restaurant manager, who hosts the night perfectly, his attention to detail, knowledge and presentation made this experience unforgettable.

If you want to book dinner or a visiting to the bar for fantastic cocktails, please email.

searcysatthegherkin.co.uk

As mentioned before this one-of-a-kind venue both Iris and Helix require reservations in advance.