London Sunset from the Sky Garden

Hello, hello! I hope you all had a great weekend!  I spent Saturday and Sunday in London for the first time in a month and was so happy to catch up with friends and enjoy the glorious London weather.  The highlight was definitely my first trip to Kew Gardens but today’s post is about another top London attraction.  Despite living in England for a year I had never been to 20 Fenchurch Street, more popularly known as the Walkie Talkie but I am glad I made the trip last month!   The building itself is a pretty standard office building, albeit in an unusual shape, but the top three floors are what you want to write home about – the Sky Garden!  You can get a ticket to not just go to the top and see the garden but we went for a late Sunday afternoon brunch at the restaurant called Darwin, located on the 36th floor of the skyscraper.

Our reservations allowed us to cut the line and zip right to the top where we were quickly seated for our meal.   Brunch is an all day affair with a three-course price fixe menu which will set you back 39 per person but it is well worth it!   You can take a look at the sample menu here but beware, it changes seasonallyy!

In true New York brunch fashion I started with the smashed avocado on toast with tomatoes and he had the roasted Chetenham beetroot with chicory, cashew hummus and spiced nuts. For the mains he had the better option – the roast sirloin of Hereford beef which was served with Yorkshire pudding (basically a massive popover), roast parsnips, potatoes, Chantenay carrots, and red wine jus while I had a roasted fresh fish with vegetables and potatoes.  For dessert  I went for my favourite British option, Sticky Toffee Pudding which they served with vanilla ice cream and candied pecans while he went for a chocolate and praline delice.

We skipped the cocktails and after brunch coffees as I was eager to get up and stroll around the gardens before the sun went down – and of course, wanted a good spot to take photos of the sunset!   The gardens are a three story masterpiece with tropical greenery from all over the world with three restaurants and two bars tucked inside.   Walking around you can get 360 degree views of all of London from Canary Wharf to Westminster Abbey from the 38th floor of this financial district skyscraper.

After my visit I can see why it is rated #12 of more than 2,000 things to do in London by Trip Advisor and I will definitely be bringing guests back to the Sky Garden!