After a dismal spring, it’s good to see the first signs of summer. And there were plenty of city types celebrating the first sunshine in quite a while at Savage Garden, the rooftop bar with unsurpassed views of London. At the top of the Doubletree at Tower Bridge, they’ve thrown open the doors to their roof terrace and launched their new summer menu with more than a nod to warmer temperatures.
Take, for instance, their most popular cocktail on the new menu. The ingredients of the Caipora include Cachaca Yaguara, pisco aba, mango and passion fruit wine but it also features a passion fruit sorbet. They like adding a little decoration here. My Kitai (Suntory Hibiki, Akashi, Cocchi Americano, plum kombucha and Franklin & Sons soda) came with a cracker with spices balanced on the most gigantic ice cube I have ever seen. My friend Gem’s Sauvage et Beau (Sauvelle vodka, Rivington dry gin, Nardini acqua di cedro, crème de apricot) came with a fat-washed croissant with a smidgen of marmalade. I like their style.
Style is indeed much in evidence here. The drinks menu shows an image of your chosen drink – which is handy as there are ingredients here (clearly, I lead a sheltered life) that I’ve never heard of. Fresh Monkey Shoulder? Doragrossa chiontto? Gattertop Damson No 12? Whatever these may actually be, the team at the bar comes up with some quite delicious concoctions and are particularly good at giving old favourites a new twist.
Aphrodite’s Garden, for instance, is their take on a Bloody Mary. Ojo de dios mezcal (literally the eye of the god – sounds dangerous) and Axia ex dry mastiha are the main ingredients but there’s no tomato juice. How come? Instead, they use tomato liquour, oregano tincture and tomato water. Believe me, these are not cocktails that are thrown together – someone has given them a lot of thought.
The drinks list continues with some very fine wines and champagnes, and pages and pages of spirits – there are two pages of whiskies alone. The food menu is small in comparison but then this is a bar, first and foremost, albeit with some very tasty bites. Even these come with a twist – guacamole is there but this one’s made from green plantains. There is a lot of vegetarian and vegan food here and plenty of gluten free, too. They even feature the calorie counts if you’re feeling virtuous.
We weren’t seriously hungry but there are bao buns and sliders for those who are. I was seriously tempted by the aubergine in Aleppo yoghurt (with Medjool date salsa, chimichurri, olives and crispy onion) but we decided instead to go for some very generous sharing plates. The cheesy arancine and Mrs B’s samosas were good but the “Bang” cauliflower wings (gunpowder spices and coconut raita) were sensational and at 159 calories, as virtuous as can be.
On Fridays and Saturdays, they have a DJ and, as this is a pretty busy place, you’re recommended to book even on other days (you can’t book the terrace but you can book the whole bar for a party or the rather snazzy balcony). Inside, the bar itself has a great vibe and lots of gold and glitter – all great, but Savage Garden’s USP has to be its views. You’re on the 12th floor here and almost in touching distance of the Shard and the Tower of London (well, it certainly feels that way after a cocktail or three).
Savage Garden, Floor 12, 7 Pepys St, London EC3N 4AF. For more information, including details of menus, and for bookings, please visit www.savagegarden.co.uk.
Savage Garden are currently working in partnership with the Ocean Conservation Trust, dedicated to protecting and conserving the ocean, by donating £1 from two of their newly-launched signature cocktails.
