In fact, the highest restaurant is just up the road from London Bridge, on Bishopsgate - Duck & Waffle. It's on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower, a commercial office building; you step into a glass lift and get a great view over the City as you are whisked upwards.
The restaurant is definitely something special; it's also quite expensive as you might expect from somewhere that can boast such incredible views. The décor inside is worth noting as well - steel and glass meets weathered wood with impressive chandeliers - but of course it's the view everyone comes for. The main dining room (there is also a private room) has floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, so wherever you sit you are almost certain of a great view.
The restaurant is amazingly open 24 hours a day - after dinner they go into a late-night service which runs until 6am which is when they open for breakfast! So if you want to be here to watch the sun rise or sun set that would be a pretty magical experience.
I went with some work colleagues for breakfast as someone was leaving and we met at the slightly more civilised hour of 8am. We were all in awe of the view and the food was almost secondary but it was extremely good.
| duck and waffle, at Duck & Waffle |
As befits the name, waffles are one of the specials on the breakfast menu, both sweet and savoury. If I liked bananas I'd have gone for the "full Elvis" - PBJ (peanut butter and jam?), banana brulee, Chantilly cream "and all the trimmings", £15. The waffles with cherry and yogurt ice cream and white chocolate crumble (£10) sounds more like a dessert than breakfast! On the savoury side there is Ox Cheek Benedict (on a waffle rather than English muffin), £11.
Then there's the full English breakfast, or you can also have something simple like fruit salad, porridge or beans on toast - though the beans on toast at £9 offer a Cheddar and buttermilk scone with house baked beans and parmesan, so probably a bit different to your standard Heinz on white bread.
