By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food
Stuck for ideas to celebrate the arrival of 2016? Here’s our pick of London’s best restaurants to spend New Year’s Eve.
Taking place at 30 St Mary’s Axe, aka. The Gherkin, within Searcys Restaurant as part of their latest Christmas snow globe pop-up, a glitzy white tie New Year’s Eve party is set to take place within one of the city’s most prominent buildings. Featuring two different packages to choose from, the first (‘Indulgent’, priced at £180 per person) will feature a sparkling cocktail on arrival, a three-course meal between 18:00-20:00, followed by a cheese course within the private member’s lounge, then there will be live music from 23:00 until midnight when the fireworks begin. The ‘Prestige’ package, on the other hand (£290 per person) will include vintage champagne and canapés on arrival, a five-course tasting menu from 20:30 until 02:00 and unlimited access to the member’s lounge, restaurant, and the bar on level 40.
Further information on Searcys New Year’s Eve event can be found online at searcys.co.uk.
Famed for their “Press for Champagne” buttons on each table (which are sure to be popular on the cusp of December 31st/January 1st) as well as fusing English and Russian comfort food, Bob Bob Ricard is one of London’s only restaurants open 365 days a year. So to celebrate New Year’s Eve, this luxurious Soho restaurant will be open and serving dishes such as their signature Beef Wellington for two, lobster mac & cheese, and plenty of caviar and champagne to welcome the arrival of 2016.
Further information on Bob Bob Ricard can be found at bobbobricard.com
First opened at the beginning of the year, within the Walkie Talkie (20 Fenchurch Street), another prominent addition to London’s constantly growing skyline, Fenchurch is the most luxurious of the Sky Garden’s restaurants. Set to offer a special menu – this five-course creation will feature the likes of Highland game ragout, Cornish turbot, loin of venison, and Amadei chocolate bar with banana yoghurt ice cream. There will also be an early and a late sitting, with guests for the latter being able to gain access to the building’s viewing balcony in order to watch the midnight fireworks from the a height. Prices start at £195 per person.
Further information on Fenchurch’s New Year’s Eve event can be found at skygarden.london.
The Bloomsbury Hotel’s onsite restaurant – Landseer – will be open on December 31st and will offer a tasting menu that’s been specifically created for New Year’s Eve. Available for lunch or for supper, the menu will be priced at £75 per person and is set to include a glass of sparkling wine alongside the likes of white onion soup with thyme oil, terrine of confit chicken, roasted fillet of seabass, salted caramel mousse, and more. What’s more, given the restaurant’s hotel location, if diners book a room for the night, there will be no need to worry about catching a cab home or dealing with the human traffic of central London. Plus, on the morning of January 1st, there will also be a traditional brunch on offer to begin the New Year.
Further information of Landseer Restaurant’s New Year’s Eve event can be found at doylecollection.com.
Rudie’s in Dalston will be hosting a Jamaican event for New Year’s Eve to ring in 2016. Set to offer guests a one-off set menu for £35, with a glass of prosecco, until 11pm. After dinner, entry will cost £10 and as well as the special menu, there will also be a focus on rum-based cocktails and some music to add a little more zing to the last party of 2015.
Further information on Rudie’s Bashy can be found at rudieslondon.com.
Having recently reopened following a huge refurbishment, Adam Byatt’s Trinity in Clapham will be hosting a special New Year’s Eve event. The restaurant is set to open at 17:30-19:45 for their early sitting, while the later sitting will begin at 20:30 – allowing customers to welcome the New Year over dinner. What’s more there will also be a four-course set menu on offer priced at £100 per person.
Further information on Trinity’s New Year’s Eve event can be found at trinityrestaurant.co.uk.
One of London’s best new openings of 2015, Vinothec Compass will be open for New Year’s Eve. Adjoined to a golf course in North Greenwich, this unique restaurant will be offering a New Year’s Eve menu with an abundance of seafood, as well as some brilliant wines from their impressive wine wall that’s filled with very reasonably priced bottles to accompany meals here.
Further information on Vinothec Compass’s New Year’s Eve event can be found at vinotheccompass.com.