There is no debate that the Shard has redefined the London skyline. However, much more uncertain in the opinion of this reviewer is whether the restaurants within the Shard have had any impact on the London dining scene.
Begin at the beginning. What’s the attraction of the Shard? Well, it’s the view. Provide somewhere to eat and drink and the people will come; they’re paying less for what they’re about to consume and more for the experience. Against this background, it’s probably appropriate to go to the Shard with expectations set appropriately.
My dining partner and I wondered almost from the moment of our arrival at the building’s basement just how special or intimate our experience might be given that we were herded towards a dedicated elevator for the restaurant complex. The choice of words is not accidental. One specific entrance for dining might sound exclusive, but it’s more an exercise in crowd control. Similarly, complex is apposite given that up on level 31 (once through security), diners are confronted not only with thudding beats and myriad groups of Instagram-happy snappers, but also a potentially bewildering choice; there’s Aqua Shard, Hutong and Oblix from which to choose. We had booked for the middle one of this trio and made our way – eventually – to the venue.
Throughout our time in both the bar for pre-dinner drinks and once at the table, the service was professional but lacked warmth or even a hint of personalisation. Maybe experience-seekers don’t care so much, but we found it profoundly depressing; you’re just on a conveyer belt. Even better if the table is turned quickly.
Many other reviewers seem to laud the décor of Hutong and maybe it’s impressive by day, but at night, with the lighting turned as low as it was, it was hard to make things out. Seating, my comrade correctly noted, was far from comfortable and the high-topped stools in the bar hardly designed with females sporting short skirts in mind.
Onto the food and no surprise, the angle here is style over substance. Both my comrade and I found our dishes competently executed, but far from ground-breaking. More broadly, it would be hard to say that either culinary passion or originality featured in any major way. The dumplings did not wow, vegetarian options are distinctly positioned as an after-thought and probably only the ‘red lantern’ soft-shell crab (pictured) was stand-out.
No surprise, the experience doesn’t come cheap. Cocktails, food, wine (chosen from an admittedly decent list) can result in a £150/head without even really trying. Push the boat out and the bill could increase by multiples. Visiting Hutong at the Shard – to give it its full name – is an experience for sure, just not one necessarily worth repeating. At least the views were definitively good.