Gŏng Bar

LEVEL 52, SHANGRI-LA, THE SHARD, 31 ST THOMAS STREET, LONDON SE1 9QU gong-shangri-la.com (£££) dish. Who knew that a seared hamachi and prawn tempura roll comes in at 795kcals, or the wagyu oxtail and bone marrow fried rice would set you back 1073kcals? Still, we managed to push past the numbers and settled in for a feast, warming up with a selection of snacks and starters before moving on to the excellent Signature Sushi Platter. From the robata grill, we went for the sustainable miso black cod (456kcals) and Iberico secreto pork (409kcals), because, life’s too short not to, right?

The vibe: You want views? You’ll get views for miles here. Located on the 52nd floor of The Shard, Gŏng is the highest hotel bar in Western Europe and as such, bagging one of the window seats is key. When you’re not looking out, the interior soothes with calming greys and pops of red. But we won’t lie, nothing can compete with those views.

The food: Sushi-style bites are the perfect accompaniment for cocktails. Fact. Here, they’re not as elaborate or varied as at The Aubrey, but it’s a totally different offering so we didn’t mind a jot. We went for the spicy yellowfin tuna maki rolls and prawn dragon rolls, followed by chicken gyoza, ginger and soy, and spiced nori, salt and pepper squid and sweet chilli mayo from the hot plates section – just what our cocktails were calling for.

The drinks: The menu is based on one of Aubrey

Beardsley’s classic works, The Yellow Book, and we must say, they’ve done him proud. We dipped into Volume One and each of the three chapters draws you in with exquisite art and literature, as well as outstanding drinks.

From Chapter One – Art Nouveau, we loved the light and aromatic Peacock Room (Sakura Mancino Vermouth, sweet potato shochu, yuzu and tonic); in Chapter Two –The 108 Heroes of the Popular Suikoden, we were suitably impressed with the Roshi (Kiyomi Rum, pear cordial, dry vermouth, chocolate bitters and a spritz of smoked sakura cherry perfume).

The drinks: We’ll preface this by saying the drinks here don’t come cheap –the Deluxe section ranges from £33 to £52, while the main menu is £24 (without service). Still, you’re here for those views, right? And as a ticket for The View from The Shard experience on level 68 is £32, without a drink, you could consider this option a bit of a bargain. We went for a heady Batik Fashioned (Havana 7 Year Old Rum, pandan, Pisang Ambon, Pimento Dram, Pedro Ximénez Sherry, verjus and Angostura bitters) and the Japanese-inspired Onibasu Martini (Ketel One Vodka, shochu, sake, mirin wine, soy and red spruce), garnished with those fabulous views.