Let's get this clear:
Before sitting down I was confronted by not one, not two, but three humansized floral cutouts of hearts. They were backlit for Instagram, because if nothing else
I'd taken a good friend for dinner rather than a partner, but a friend who teetered on the brink between friendship and romance. We'd been voice noting all year but days earlier he'd revealed he'd be moving to
At Ting,
We swerved the four-course truffle menu because there can be too much of a good thing. Instead we dove into something far more romantic: a gutbusting five courses. In reality the courses are fairly small, but precisely enough to fill you up. The Experience menu could certainly be more Chinese, but it proffers exciting little dishes that are as fun to look at as they are to taste.
Mushroom toast with grilled portobello, shiitake soy and fermented cep boasted lovely folds of mushroom, succumbing to the bread like layers of apple atop an elaborate tarte tatin. A salmon wonton tart with avocado, wasabi and coconut foam was just the right amount of novelty to spark a conversation, while sprouting broccoli with satay sauce and puffed black rice had a welcome lightness. Soy braised short rib with potato, nori terrine and kale chimichurri was small but perfectly formed. The chocolate and miso pudding was decadent enough to make me crave retreating to bed for anything but
Back to the sexual tension: we'd got through a bottle of orange wine before buzzing the lift to Gong, the bar at the top of the
It had ticked past one in the morning and staff told us that the man shaking our spicy margs had to go home. Heavy on our feet, we made for the lift, but a sign for the rooftop infinity pool caught our eye. We swung open the door, looked at each other, then slowly removed our shoes. Next thing we knew we were in the warm, inviting water in our underwear and ogling the view of the darkened
Shangri-La really needn't bother with
£ Gong-shangri-la.com; Ting-shangrila.com; 0207 234 8108
We made for the lift, but a sign for the rooftop infinity pool caught our eye. We swung open the door, looked at each other, then slowly removed our shoes
(c) 2023 City A.M., source