The deal was 3 courses and a glass of bubbly for £45... not bad. But, what makes this extra special is that this dining experience has a rather fun bar above based on a Moroccan Souk which is only open for a limited time to celebrate The Gherkins 10th year (has it REALLY been that long!!). So, extra special.
With the Moroccan theme in mind you can opt for a 'Taste of Morocco' tasting menu fr an extra £10pp on arrival or, afternoon tea which is only available to book in advance...
On this gloomy rather grey weather summers evening we were ushered through security quickly and zoomed up the 39 flights to be greeted by friendly faces and shown to our table right on the edge showing beautiful birds eye views below our feet and they immediately poured our glass of crisp, dry champers...
The menu for our 3 courses was far more extensive than other offers I have come across. Six starters and six mains including interesting vegetarian options which is sometimes a rarity. All the meat and fish dishes all sounded delicious making it ever so slightly hard to choose from.
Some warm bread with churned, salted butter arrived and was so comforting I ate it in quick succession.
Once ordered our starters came in good time.
Pickled Beetroot was my choice and came with whipped Vulscombe goat's cheese, basil, apple and vanilla. It looked as good as a Michelin starred dish and was a real treat to eat. I didn't taste much of the vanilla but, every other flavour shone through.
Mr D's starter was a confit of duck roulade, white peach, candied walnut and rocket...
Of the mains (and I wish one of us went for the Moroccan lamb as it looked delicious) I went for Butter roasted monkfish, heritage purple carrot, crisp bone marrow and bacon foam. My fish was exquistely cooked, one of the best monkfish dishes I've eaten - it could be to do with the 10,000grams of butter which went into the dish succulent and tender a real winner. The bone marrow was a little over-crisp for my liking but all other aspects of the dish worked perfectly.
The better half opted for pork tenderloin, broccoli and navet (a Moroccan nod - it means turnip) and leeks. Sadly the pork was completely overcook, so much so it look a little sad on the plate and we were surprised it even got past the pass. But, the accompanying sauce was worthy of a mention as were the perfectly cooked al dente leeks.
I rather boringly went for the cheese trolley for an extra £5 supplement from a selection of about 15 cheeses they asked what I liked flavour wise and gave me a good selection of hard, soft, goats and smoked.
Searcys is a lovely restaurant with just a few tweeks here and there the food could be top notch. If, like me, you're sucker for a romantic high rise supper (and also a bargain) it's a must - hit it before it vanishes....
Bookatable's deal like HERE
Searcys website HERE
A: 30 St Mary Axe, off Leadenhall Street, London,EC3A 8EP
Tube: Bank