It was a Benedict Cumberbatch tumblr that prompted me to consider booking a place here. Plus, it was new, and also, it boasted a great view. One thing lead to another, and I’ve decided that I will now attempt to visit at least one Jason Atherton restaurant when I visit a city where one exists. Whether or not this will actually work, who knows!

I actually am starting to enjoy visiting restaurants where I have no expectations, because when it delivers, it’s amazing. The small details, such as their mentioning of the fact they spotted my brother’s camera to give us a window right next to the Gherkin, makes all the difference! I am very happy that they’ve received a Michelin Star now too!

Guinea fowl and truffle terrine, parfait, crispy skin, sourdough

We didn’t take long to order our food, and when it came it, it was certainly Atherton style presentation – it looked similar to that of Commune Social, which is a good thing, because it means I should be able to spot out a chef’s preferred plating technique! I believe this is the first time I’ve sampled guinea fowl too. What a tasty terrine!

Heirloom tomatoes, burrata, olive

I am such a sucker for burrata, especially when it’s used in an interpretation (well not so much in this case) of a caprese salad. I also chose this because there was a similar item at Commune Social – which tasted great but did look a bit different.

Beetroot cured mackerel, betroot, goat cheese sorbet

This was quite an interesting dish as I’d not had beetroot cured anything before, and I’ve also never had fish and beetroot together. It was definitely a very interesting combination, though I will never, ever get my head around goat dairy. I will always choose it but I will never entirely like it – but I will always appreciate it!

Grouse with roast parsnip

As soon as I heard that they had a grouse as their special, I ordered it straight away. I love eating things that are different, and lucky for me, it was game season. I had no idea what to expect, and it was certainly something I wasn’t prepared for. Having never had something this… wild before, I was surprised at just how gamey it was. I guess gamey is a flavour? It was super tender though and cooked perfectly, so I understood the dish to be delicious even though my brain couldn’t process the taste! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves to try new things!

The waiter also let me know that there may have been a bullet in the meat and to be careful – but alas, no special souvenir! Though in retrospect it was probably for the better since it may have been flagged at airport security had I found and chosen to keep it.

Whole lobster, duck fat chips and choron sauce

When there’s a whole lobster on the menu, my brother says yes! When there’s also a nutcracker involved, hilarity ensues. Super tasty but cumbersome, as we found out when another table ended up with shell flying everywhere, then my brother managed to knock a piece further along the floor, leading to a puzzled waiter wondering where all the shell bits came from as he picked them up from the floor. Or something like that. This story has definitely been modified with faulty memory!

White peach parfait with raspberries, and raspberry basil sorbet

Mr Atherton also seems to like basil in his desserts – and I love this too! So much so that I’m considering making orange basil sorbet. This was beautiful and tasty, and had several elements to it – including fresh and freeze dried raspberries, raspberry meringue and raspberry sauce. I need to be this inventive when making desserts!

Black forest cherries, Valrhona chocolate sponge, cherry sorbet

Rich, delicious chocolate in a blackforest setting. I’m glad my brother chose this because I liked my dessert better, but when Valrhona is being used, it’s a must have.

City Social also has some pretty awesome bathrooms, and at night, the view from the stalls with windows is pretty cool. We were allowed to wander around at the end of our meal and take pictures, and this was actually not from the ladies bathroom, but instead, just the other side of the restaurant. Hello Shard!

Other highlights in this dinner included a moment when a table near us got a little rowdy, and immediately there were two to three staff attending the table to make sure things were okay and settled. It turns out a lady was just a little drunk and in a conversation about the Gherkin, if I recall correctly. I was glad it was mostly harmless. There was also a moment when we were paying our bill, that one of the waiters asked about PIN versus signature, then for some reason I decided to reference Rockpool, and lo and behold, it turns out he had actually worked there not too long ago, but left before it moved to Bridge Street. What a small world!

It was a great nice and a great experience, and I would love to come back here. I think each city should have a few must-revisit places, and this would be one of them for me. Their dessert menu is just amazing! Plus, it’s a great place to take people who’ve never seen London from above.