Skylon Restaurant

Great shame…the views are great, the room lacks soul but when it's full it has s real buzz. But…and it s big but, the food is very average especially for the money you pay. We ate in the restaurant, the menu promises a fine dining experience, but what was delivered was something that fell well short of that. Won't be going back.

I visited for the first time on a Sunday – I thought the price was good at £24 or so for two courses (we were too full to even try the deserts – pity). We were lucky enough to get a window seat and it was a great atmosphere, a real theme through the waitresses dresses/cutlery/plates and all. The service was attentive and theatrical – the wild garlic soup served with particular panache and a huge silver wheel along carvery for the roast lamb. I had the salmon main course and when I said that I enjoyed it they proceeded to explain how it was cooked which was fascinating. I thought it was great value given the quality of the food and fancy service at £90 including two cocktails, two course meal, two bottles of water and service.

Discovered Skylon by accident last night after being at the British Film Institute. They found us a table and offered the set price post-theatre meal. Was fantastic food, lively atmosphere and stunning views across the Thames.
Starter was salmon, followed by Onglet of steak with red cabbage, and had trio of ice cream for dessert – the apple pie flavoured ice-cream was stunning.

The service was slighlty slow, think this was due to the amount of people in there and the fact the same person didn't serve us the whole time. But this didn't detract from the overall impression and gave us time to admire the beautiful view. Total of £89 for both of us, for three courses and bottle of wine (£29) and tea, this also included service at 12.5%. Recommended,

Awful, awful, awful. I have eaten here 6 times over the years and Ive just watch it get progressively worse. Not only that, its horrendously overpriced for what it is: £40 for 2 courses. My scallop starter (that I paid a £5 supplement for) which consisted of 2 measly scallops sliced into halves was dry and overcooked and none of the flavours worked. The main of halibut was perfectly cooked but the sauce with the intermiggling of artichokes marinaded in vinegar was just a mess with the vinegar from the artichokes overpowering everything! Only artichokes marinaded in olive oil should ever be used in a dish. Because I was a on a date and they were paying, I thought it would be impolite to complain but I really wish I had especially when I consider how expensive the meal was. The service, cocktails and views are the restaurants saving grace so if they could just work on the food, it could go back to being an impressive place to eat.

I have eaten at many top end resturants all around the world and believe Skylon hit rock bottom for food, service and value for money. Thank the lord it was my customers choice and not mine. First the wait staff had no reccomendations as they had never eaten the food they were serving. The bread (served with very good butter) was miss used and would have been much better used during batting practice. The wine was impossible to order and we were asked to order our food pior to even having talked with the sommelier. The three of us decided on the tasting meal which turned out to be a big mistake. The only bright spot was the jerusalem artichoke soup which was served first. Next, a tasteless beeroot salad with one nicely done quial egg ,which was the only saving grace of the salad. Up next, a buttter poached lobster with a fennel salad. The lobster was very small but very well cooked. The problem here was the fennel and pear salad must have come from the freezer so you had a luke warm piece of lobster with a very cold piece of fennel. Sorry, that just does not work. We were then delighted, not, with a veal carpaccio which had absoutely no seasoning and the consistency of chewing gum. For the main, the waiters brought out small sauce pans of mash which they placed on the table and immeadiately took off the lids. While the potatos turned to a cool glob, they cut rib eye tableside, which actaully reminded very much of the carpaccio, no seasoning, but this time the amount of connective tissue in the meat meant we were treated to watching ourselves chewing for the next 30 minutes, non-stop. Finally, a dessert which could have easily been bought a the super market for all I know. The three bottles of Montepulciano at £57.00 as piece were certainly the highlight of the evening. For £440.00 including 10% tip, they will not be seeing me again.

Skylon is divided into 2 parts …one massive room with the biggest windows that overlook the Thames …one side is the brasserie…bar in the middle with seating area for drinks and bar snacks…a la carte on the other side. It is without doubt a vibrant place… and it has a decent decibel level…but we did not find it at all problematic…in fact it added to the energy of the place. Downsides for us …just 2 spring to mind .. being the popular place it is, the bar is far too small and crowded. Hard to get served if busy. . There is seating by the window and around the bar for drinks…but there seemed to be an endless supply of people ‘ hovering’ for the slightest hint of someone vacating a seat ! Again not a biggy…but in the busiest time…you will be standing for a while… 2nd was the toilets… It was outside the restaurant and available for general public use as it was in the first floor Foyer area. …so we had the progressive problem of cleanliness as the evening went along. Now the good bits ! Vibrant atmosphere…Both young and old mixing …a genaral good crowd …Great river view…Staff service and politeness was exeptional…food was good and there was a decent selection of wines. The food portions I personally found were not the biiggest in the world but well presented . well prepared and tasty. We settled for Veal kidneys and pork cheeks.. both perfectly cooked and flavoursome. All in all a good night out that can cater for all tastes…young…old…romantics… Eat in the brassierie area then have after dinner drinks … just go to the bar area and drink and have some snack food…or go all out and sit in the al la carte area and watch the boats go by and be pampered a bit. It's a place you have to go to…and a place that will always be in the back of your mind to return to as well !

Excellent service, magical views and breathtaking atmosphere, the evening turned to be splendid but expensive.

I'm not put off by the mouse sightings, I think this place is great. I've been to the bar before and went to the restaurant for the first time last week on a glorious summer's evening. We were lucky to be seated by the window with a wonderful view. The service is very good and the food and wine list superb. I was glad to see a good selection of wines by the glass, so we could order a glass to go with each course rather than a bottle that didn't really go with anything. I had a chilled glass of Manzanilla sherry with an egg, truffle and wild mushroom starter which was perfectly cooked, while my partner opted for a very fresh, fragrant crab dish with a glass of off-dry German Riesling – which gave me some pangs of food and wine matching envy! I got to finish off the delightful Riesling though with my salmon main which was perfectly undercooked while he had a glass of Pinot Noir with a divine bacon wrapped rabbit, complete with some surprise gamey bits. We didn't have puddings as we had to head off but watched the theatrics of a baked alaska being flambed at the next-door table.

We dined here on a Saturday evening pre-theatre with the evening standard 3 courses for £20 inc a glass of wine deal and were very impressed. Service was excellent and each of the 3 courses very good. Whilst some dishes were a bit average (eg the fois gras came with an odd Indian flavoured chutney, and the lavender creme brulee was a bit gloopy and lacking real vanilla) some were excellent (my partner loved the duck leg on lentils, and my gravad lax to start was very tasty). We'll definitely consider coming back pre- or post- theatre.

Sunday lunch 5 April 2009. Overpriced (especially drinks) and disappointing. In 20-odd years of using restaurants in London, I don't think I've ever sent food back, but the venison starter here went back because it was completely tasteless. The salmon which replaced it was better, but the crabmeat which supposedly came with that wouldn't have filled a teaspoon and the dressing was vinegary. Main course Provencal fish was also a small portion, though the sauce with it was good. Fellow diners assured me that the beef was good (this had a £5 supplement). Chicken dish was colourless. Nothing was beyond warm-ish in temperature. No option to add any green vegetables or salad to anything. Desserts were adequate. A varied cheeseboard, but several pieces served by the staff had to be replaced because they were so dry. When the bill came we wanted to deduct some of the service charge, but staff came back saying they couldn't take off only a part of the charge (in other words, it's all or nothing). (We took it all off, settled with a card, then left an amount in cash.) Whatever has changed since this was People's Palace, it certainly isn't better.

A friend had recommended going to Skylon a while ago but was unsure because of the numerous reviews I had read which didnt exactely hold them in the best light. Anyway, after much deliberation I decided to give it a shot, and I have to say, I had the most wonderful time! Unfortunately we didnt get a seat at the front by the window , but the views were still spectacular especially as the sun set. We had a drink at the bar first, the coctail I had was gorgeous, it was a shame that it was so busy though as we had to stand and drink them, and it did take quite a while to be served.

The food though was a dream, Im not used to going fancy restaurants (we sat in the bit with the table cloths), so was slightly intimidated by the menu, but when I dug into it, it was devine. The service was brilliant also, but I guess thats what comes with those sort of restaurants.

I would definetley recommend anyone to go there, even if its only for the view!

My partner and I chose Skylon to celebrate our anniversay and were impressed with both the views and the knowledge of the staff, particularly the sommelier.

I was, however, disappointed to learn that on my recommendation, a friend and her boyfriend had a disappointing visit recently. After reporting sight of a mouse in the dining area, tehy were offered a 20% discount and advised that “it was only a very small mouse” and that these things “should be expected” so close to the river.

As much as I enjoyed my visit, on the strength of my friend's experience, I won't be going back.

Having been badly let down by Bel Canto who could not find enough opera singers in order to open and it being my wife's birthday i managed to get a last minute table at Skylon. Luck favouring a birthday-girl, we got a suddenly vacant front row table overlooking the embankment and over the Thames, The view was breathtakingly beautiful and must be the most romantic of any restaurant in London.
The restaurant itself is at one end of a vast open-plan room the other bit of the room being the brasserie section. We had table cloths the brasserie didn't. The noise level was tremendous, never experienced anything like it.
The first noticable thing was the utter charm of the staff, never in Britain have I been served by such people and for one moment I thought that they had all been trained by the Chedi Hotel in Muscat, totally amazing.
The starters were perfectly good, the main courses were turbot which was delicious and only ruined by being served with bacon and boiled broccoli. The other main was duck leg and breast which was good but was served with what appeared to be a creamy rice pudding with a weird taste – why?

Suddenly the people on the next table saw a mouse running across the floor heading towards another table, there was a lot of screaming by the women and laughter by the men. The very suave maitre d' at once came over and apologised.

Next came dessert which was a honey thing with iced cream, also we ordered crepes with raspberry sauce, it was perfecly good, cooked in front of us but in truth was pedestrian in taste, somehow it lacked any ‘bottom’ taste whatsoever.
When asked how i enjoyed the desserts I told the waiter that they were pretty much rubbish, at first he thought I was joking.

The wine list has lots by the glass and it is to their credit that when you order a 175ml glass of wine for £8 the same wine appears later in the list at £32.

The staff get the tips here, not the management who are on salaries.

All in all a mixed experience but the staff, the view along with the mouse cabaret made up for the questionable composition of the dishes. I will probably not bother to go again.

How can one restaurant get it so wrong?!

Located in one of London's cultural homes, Skylon has the potential to be one of the capital's culinary institutions, creating and serving innovative and well executed food to reflect the exhibitions and South Bank Centre's heritage.

Skylon fails on all accounts to provide anything close to what one might describe as a decent restaurant in the capital. I would much rather wrestle a pigeon for a hot dog than ever go there again.

The menu is not innovative in the slightest, and it is a wonder that with her culinary skills and experience excellent chef Helena Puolakka could not come up with better. The food when it arrived was as bland in looks as it was in taste, and with each course one hoped that there would be some improvement, but alas there was no reprieve.

The service was abysmal. The staff rude and as plain in terms of personality as the food they were serving up.

The impression Skylon is trying to promote is that of excellence, that it is as good as those culinary bastions in the capital Tom Aiken, one of Gordon Ramsay's many restaurants, Chez Bruce, the list is endless. Insead you are provided with a an extremely weakened version of what one would expect. An atmosphere and ambience more like the cafe found on the platform of east croydon railway station, except with less life.

Move on Helena, before the shackles of this disasterous restaurant taint your good name anymore.