In our experience it’s hard to resist the charm of a rooftop bar, particularly one boasting 360-degree views of some of London’s most iconic landmarks. Primely placed on the 12th floor of the DoubleTree Hotel, Savage Garden makes the most of its elevated position, with a slightly funky setting that feels entirely at home in its East London surroundings.
From the moment we step out of the lift, the tone is set. A labyrinth of corridors leads us through the main bar and out onto the al fresco terrace. Walls of floor-to-ceiling windows frame the city below, the view shifting with each step. A central bar immediately draws the eye, clad in swirling marble, whilst mirrored ceilings and metallic touches lend a clean, sophisticated feel. But there’s a brazenness here too; abstract light fixtures, burnt orange seating and a wall of stained-glass windows that lean into the site’s artistic inspiration.
The cocktail menu is the star of the show. Drinking here is all about experimentation, with colourful, bold drinks that fall in line with the site’s mantra of ‘respect the classics, twist the rules.’ The Pop Seduction blends vodka, tequila, raspberry and rose cordial with a splash of Moët, served alongside an electric-blue lollipop. It’s punchy and dangerously easy to sip. Elsewhere, the Sangria N21 takes a similarly maximalist approach, blending vodka, sake, vermouth and pink grapefruit tonic among a host of other additions. It’s perhaps a tad too much, though it’s delightfully sweet.
The food is equally eclectic, offering a selection of globally inspired light bites. Steamed bao buns are impossibly fluffy, and we’d order them again and again, with pink pickled onions that cut straight through the slow-braised beef. Truffle and mushroom arancini arrive with a striking jet-black crust and vivid green interior. They’re incredibly crisp, though the truffle note is more muted than we’d have liked.
Next up is the Savage Hot Dog. Sweet fried onions provide the base beneath the bratwurst, fully loaded with a chorizo crumb, fried onions and a generous drizzle of chorizo mayo. It’s undeniably delicious, and makes for a series of wonderfully messy bites, though it’s a slightly puzzling choice for a room of this calibre, and we can’t imagine too many of the well-heeled crowd being keen to get stuck into this sort of finger food.
This is a spot that could easily rely on its surroundings to fill its seats, but Savage Garden holds its own with a buzzing atmosphere, highly inventive cocktails and glamorous surroundings. When the sun sets over the city, there aren’t many better places you could be.