Skylon Restaurant & Bar

Located on level three of the Royal Festival Hall, Skylon offers a panorama of London's skyline with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Wobbly Bridge, the Gherkin and the north bank of the Thames.

This fine dining restaurant, grill and bar is named after the towering metal sculpture which, like the Royal Festival Hall itself, was one of the centrepieces of the 1951 Festival of Britain. Skylon occupies a vast room broken by five huge bronze chandeliers, each ringed with fins, and a central, raised island bar. Below, a sea of tables is divided by low stone grey-green Portuguese limestone, echoing a general olive green colour scheme.

The bar forms the focal point of the room and its stools offer a grandstand view of the room and the scenic views beyond.

Cocktails and the bar offering are generally above that of your average restaurant bar although some of the 'house' cocktail concoctions are over adventurous. Being a fine dining establishment, there's a lengthy wine list and whether you're after a bar snack or banquet, you'll also find your needs well catered for.

The trek out to the Royal Festival Hall's public toilets and a lack of atmosphere sadly let Skylon down.