Obsessions. They are by definition a dangerous trait to have. I have many, some of which include Chanel (a lethal obsession to have for those of you who know) Current obsession includes brunches, and to be very specific brunch in high spots towering over the London skyline…
Today – obsession well and truly maintained at The Shard. I absolutely love this place and the feeling of excitement I get every time I get into the lift, however the feeling in my stomach could well be the fact that the lift goes from the ground floor to 36th floor in 16 seconds flat.
Every time I walk past The Shard, I can’t help but fall into tourist mode and point my camera or phone at the towering building. Such a beautiful structure, and even more so the restaurants! So many to choose from, and each one is better than the last.. but that is a separate post altogether so watch this space.
You guys have probably heard the name being thrown around, but Aqua Shard is part of the Aqua Restaurant Group, which is a group of global restaurants of different cuisines. London hosts this particular restaurant as well as Aqua Kyoto, Aqua Nueva, Aqua Spirit and, one of my most favourite restaurants, Hutong also in The Shard.
So my friend and I made our way to London Bridge and made our way to The Shard. We went up the lift, ears popping enhancing the anticipations, we came out of the lift and were directed to Aqua. We were directed to our table and as always, I was asked by a very kind waiter what the purpose of my camera was. Having told them about my extra curricular activities, I was instructed not to take photos of anything else apart from the food, which was cool with me.
As we were clearly too late for breakfast, we were offered the Brunch menu. Having looked at the menu left me a little confused though. Usually when I heard brunch I have the lifelong dilemma of pancakes vs Eggs Benedict. However, I did not have to deal with this on this occasion. The menu was more lunch than brunch, but due to my obsession I made the best of the situation. The menu showed a range of Starters, Main and Desserts. Now if it was socially acceptable ever in life, I would scrap that and go for dessert, dessert and dessert. However, I remained civilised and went for starters and dessert.
I went for Crab Benedict and Elvden Beetroot Carpaccio for starters and Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse.
Firstly, Crab Eggs Benedict sounds a bit odd compared to the usual eggs benedict with salmon. However, O M G! If you guys have not experienced Crab Benedict, you have not lived! (BIG STATEMENT but just look at that Hollandaise dripping off!)
Crab Benedict is definitely my favourite type of Benedict.. possibly even topping Benedict Cumberbatch! (His parents were obviously a fan of brunch too!)
Crab Benedict – Crab, poached egg, toasted English muffin and Hollandaise sauce. The crab was so tender and so finely grated that it just melted in your mouth (!) The eggs though… the egg was just perfect – so aesthetically pleasing, yet it wasn’t just a pretty face… no no no! These eggs were just perfect, the colour of the yolk, the perfect rounded shape of the egg, yet so delicious and not sparing any single tastebud in my mouth. There is no other way of describing the egg and crab meat other than a pleasure to the tastebuds. However, I have to add that the muffin was a bit too tough to break through and a tad spot of charcoal flavour… in other non-blogger terms, it was burnt! Which was a bit of a disappointment considering the price you pay for a single dish, I expected the charcoals to be left for the local kebab shop.
Once I got over the initial excitement of the Crab Benedict, I moved on to the Elvden Beetroot Carpaccio. As I enquired about what Elvden was, both the waiter and my friend found it hilarious – well I am a true Londoner, don’t expect me to know about any other town in the UK! The beetroot carpaccio was a brilliantly light mix of (of course) beetroot, pickled walnuts and Bermondsey feta cheese. Initially, I was really enjoying this fresh and light feeling of the beetroots and feta, which was refreshing following the previous dish.
As I was munching through this, I ate something that went straight up my nose and was so strong in flavour I actually struggled to get it down my throat and had to ask the waiter what it was I just tried to inhale. I was informed it was marinated pickle. That was me done, I could not finish the dish as the taste was far too overbearing for me to handle, and I decided it was time for dessert.
So out is came… Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse and just like that my life changed.
Basically.. a lump of the most beautiful chocolate mousse hands down I have ever tasted floating in a goodness of salted caramel. That’s all I need to and have to say about this dessert. It definitely gets a spot into my top 10 list of desserts (yes there is a list!)
Some more pics…
Overall, I would say Aqua is a great place to go for any occasion or no occasion at all (PS. Sundays are an occasion!) I love that as soon as you enter the restaurant, you can see the beauty of the London skyline and it really does not matter where you sit in the restaurant. The panoramic views of London can be seen from anywhere in the whole restaurant, which spans over a large space. Aqua Shard also has a bar where those of you who haven’t made bookings but want to enjoy views can still go and enjoy the views of London. However, I would always recommend booking to avoid disappointment.
The food at Aqua is great, some minor disappointments along the way but overall the good was good, not great but good. Although the dessert was absolutely divine and I would go back for that alone if anything!
Have you guys been to Aqua Shard? What are your thoughts?
Comment below and let me know how your experiences were. DOn’t forget to follow me on Snapchat @londonhaloodie before the story expires! Keep following for my daily foodie experiences.
Till next foodie adventure… Lots of love,
TLH xxx