Skylon

Took Dorian to the Skylon at the Festival Hall. The building was a bit unfinished and we had to pick our way through a few builders and bits of rubble to get there. However we found it in the end.

It was a large bright room with retro colours of brown and green in the furnishings. Windows all down one side with lovely river views, where we sat and a bar area in the middle. The waiters were very attentive. We were having the special 1951 menu of two courses for £19.99, which, we decided, would become three courses for £24.99. We had a free glass of wine at the beginning. It turned out that the place was a Conran restaurant. Conran must almost own the riverfront on that side.

Dorian was rather disappointed with the food, which was rather overcooked, but compensated by drinking several glasses of wine. He had chicken livers, followed by lamb with couscous, followed by chocolate mousse. I had vegetables a la Grecque which were excellent, followed by seabass which was very slightly overcooked, and finished up with rich vanilla ice cream and hot Valrhona chocolate sauce, which was delicious. I had a glass of pudding wine and some rather nice coffee, served with almond and chocolate petits fours, while Dorian settled for two glasses of pudding wine with some of the petits fours, which we both agreed were rather good. I suggested that perhaps the overcooking might be related to the fact that we had a 2.30 lunch and they probably prepared things in advance.

There was a very celebratory air about the place - the weather had become very sunny and warm from a rather chilly wet start that day. We wandered about a bit on the terrace and investigated the new layout of the place. There was a wonderful fountain, and Dorian leapt in to the (dry) centre of this while I took some snaps.