Simon Wittenberg ventures to the top floor of the five-star Montcalm Royal London House hotel in the heart of the City to enjoy the Sunday Roast menu at Aviary Rooftop Restaurant and Terrace Bar.
A short ride in the lift up to the tenth floor of the luxurious Montcalm property, and the doors open to greet you with the Aviary Rooftop Restaurant and Terrace Bar. It’s centred around British-style cuisine and offers guests the chance to dine in a spacious and contemporary Art Deco setting with colourful abstract paintings and a large, well-equipped central bar.
Alternatively, there’s the sizeable terrace that features “Igloos” – Grey Goose Vodka-branded domes, which can accommodate up to eight people at a time.
Apart from the beautifully prepared gastronomy served here, the other big selling point of Aviary London is undoubtedly the panoramic vista that stretches over Finsbury Square and Moorgate, and as far as the Shard on a clear day (that we were lucky enough to have during our visit). Its enviable position also means that Aviary is bathed in swathes of natural light when the sun shines.
This 100-seater restaurant is full to the brim in the week, thanks to being located within a busy business district, so Aviary has certainly captured the corporate market. It is, therefore, a little quieter on a Friday and at the weekend, so the Sunday Roast is designed to appeal to both resident hotel guests and those visiting the capital for leisure.
With that being said, there was a regular flow of people coming in and out on the Sunday that we visited and a nice relaxed ambience where there was a more personal level of service from the friendly and hospitable hosts.
Looking after our lunch was the very attentive Moroccan-Spanish head waiter Yassine, who showed a clear interest in going the extra mile to ensure that we had the best possible experience, and that any specific dietary preferences and tastes were all catered for.
Children are also welcome at Aviary, and there’s a dedicated kids’ menu, where our little one tucked into some nicely prepared roast chicken with chips and beans, which was followed by a small bowl of peeled and finely cut fresh fruit.
Perusing the Sunday Roast menu with chilled glasses of champagne in hand, plus some fresh bread (£8.50) and Nocellara olives from Sicily (£6), there was a decent choice of dishes for each course, plus there’s a good selection of beverages to choose from, spanning wine to cocktails.
I opted for an ice-cold Piña Colada, topped with some mint leaves and some dark red glacé cherries – the perfect accompaniment when admiring the view across London.
The starters bring a nice array of dishes, and Aviary granted us the opportunity to sample a few to appreciate the extent of what guests can enjoy from this weekend-focused à la carte.
To kick things off, I tried the silky-smooth cuts of beetroot-cured salmon (£18), which were surrounded by small pieces of beetroot, a few lettuce leaves, a ribbon of lightly pickled cucumber, plus a tasty wholegrain mustard dressing for an added kick.
It was a brilliant dish boasting flavour and creativity. On a similar note, the creamy Burrata, which arrived on a wholesome bed of pearl barley packed with goodness, and pieces of roast Iron Bark pumpkin (£16), was a combination which proved relatively filling as an entrée.
My other half started off on a lighter note with the wild mushroom and tarragon cream soup and was followed by the nicely-composed aged beef tartare (£17), decorated with finely chopped pieces of chive and egg yolk. Accompanied by a deep-fried potato and bone marrow terrine, this was one of the stand-out hors d’oeuvres from the Aviary line-up.
Alongside the traditional roast option for the mains, which is ultimately what we were at Aviary to try, and the mushroom and chestnut wellington for vegetarians, there’s also the “Specials”. This is where you will find the Channel Island oysters (priced up to £55 for 12) and “Market Fish” dishes as an alternative, plus Shepherd’s pie and the mouthwatering temptation of prime cuts of British beef cooked in this eatery’s Bertha charcoal oven.
I decided on the generous and piping hot piece of Scottish halibut (£45), where the crispy outer skin layer arrived flanked with black smoked herring roe, alongside a portion of herb-crushed baby potatoes on a bed of rich and creamy green courgette and pistachio sauce. It was divine, and an empty plate ensued.
My wife was the nominee for a generous Sunday Roast (£36), which took the form of slices of rich and pink Lyons Hill farm rare breed rib-eye beef from Dorset, which came with all the expected trimmings, such as roast potatoes and carrots, topped with gravy and a piece of bone filled with flavoursome marrow that was easy to scoop out. This was for sure a winning centrepiece at Aviary and is also ideal for quickly banishing any signs of hunger. There are also a few sides available, but the mains are more than adequate on their own, so are not really needed here.
Dessert offers a myriad of options to tempt the taste buds, and there’s everything from chocolate mousse to a comprehensive cheeseboard. I opted for a delicious, warm, sticky toffee pudding with a cool scoop of vanilla ice cream perched on a salted butterscotch sauce (£9.50). My other half settled on the apple and damson crumble (£9.50) with oat crumb in a small copper pan that had juicy pieces of fruit lining the base – the perfect end to what had been a superb meal.
In summary…
Aviary Rooftop Restaurant and Bar in London should be high up on your list of places to enjoy a relaxing Sunday lunch where you can watch the world go by from above and simply relax and enjoy a combination of excellent service and gastronomy. Aviary offers great value for money, and is a venue which impresses from start to finish, so if you’re wondering where to go for a Sunday Roast, this is definitely the place to be.
Aviary Rooftop Restaurant and Terrace Bar – Where and How?
Aviary Rooftop Restaurant and Terrace Bar can be found at Montcalm Royal London House, 22-25 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1DX, United Kingdom.
For more information or to make a reservation, visit https://aviarylondon.com.
See a reel showing highlights of our visit on the Luxurious Magazine Instagram page.
Photo credits: Tom Webb and Emma Pharaoh.
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