Day 344 ~ Just the tonic... but no gin!

Since we came back from New York we have crashed back to earth for various different reasons. Sadly MrS’s mum is not well and the prognosis isn’t great. MrS himself has been away on business every week since our return. I’ve had problems with work and then to top it all off last week I literally crashed to earth by falling really badly whilst running for the bus.  I took out both knees, my hip and my right arm, a photo frame, an iPod and my brand new coat. I had to take two days off work for the pain and my knee is still a mess. This happened while MrS was in Lisbon and whilst I got lots of support from friends virtually it brought home the fact that I have very few friends locally.

So I must admit to feeling a little sorry for myself recently. I didn’t blog about it all because however I wrote it, it sounded like one big pity party. God knows, no-one can’t be a bundle of fun 24/7, we all have shitty periods, but I suspect the response to a post like that from some quarters might have been “what the hell do you have to moan about?”

 Anyway, last night was just the tonic to all that. Before I went to NYC I had a “mini hen” with Lindsey but sadly not the one she had planned. Last night was to make up for that and we went to what should have been our original venue, Sky Garden, which is at the top of what is affectionately known as the “Walkie Talkie” building.

I love going out with Lindsey because she still holds London in the same sense of awe that I do. We kept looking at each other last night and saying “oh my god we flippin’ live here!”

What an amazing venue it was. We ate in the Darwin Brasserie, and despite my earlier promise to have the slightly more healthy asparagus risotto I caved and had the burger. It was one of the best burgers I’ve had since I’ve been here (with the exception of Bread Street Kitchen). Succulent, well cooked (medium as requested) and very tasty. Dessert was fab too, a crème brulee with apple juice (sounds weird I know). We had a bottle of red between us (Lindsey is really new to red and I’ve only been acquainted with them in the last 18 months) and a glass of Muscat for dessert.

After dinner we walked 360 degrees round the floor. It genuinely is a real garden up there and the views are stunning. I have been to the top of The Shard twice and I still found it amazing, especially as the sun went down and lights came on.

We finished our evening looking out over the lit up Thames – Tower Bridge, the Shard and the Eye – with a cocktail topped with Candy Floss, obvioulsy.

I loved the Sky Garden and now plan on taking everyone I know. If you’re not too bothered when you go you should be able to get an evening table mid-week at relatively short notice, however weekends are booked up until August (currently as far ahead as you can book). The really good thing is that they don’t over fill it. The space is huge but they don’t cram in the tables, allowing people to really see the view. I can’t wait to go again.