Lunch with a View at The Shard, London, London, England

I do love a good view - particularly from up high. Getting a birds-eye perspective of an area or city gives a new appreciation of landscapes which you may or may not be familiar with. This weekend I experienced a new take on my home city of London as I went up The Shard - the UK’s tallest building.

Combining delicious food, drink and company with a good view is definitely my preferred option. So, instead of paying £30 to go up the View from The Shard I organised a girlie lunch at Hutong Chinese restaurant on the 33rd floor of the famous building.

To give a bit of background, The Shard is the tallest building in the UK and western Europe. The 95-story structure stands at 310 metres high and is located next to London Bridge station. Completed in 2012, it is designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, who was inspired by the church steeples which used to dominate London’s skyline. Also known as the London Bridge Tower, it is most commonly referred to as The Shard after it was likened it to a shard of glass - appropriate given it contains 11,000 panes of glass. Inside, it is home to the Shangri La hotel, three restaurants and numerous office spaces.

Although our lunch date at Hutong (on the 33rd floor) meant we were not as high as the viewing platform, which is located on floors 68, 69 and 72, we were able to take our time to absorb the sights. Despite not getting a full 360 degree view, we could still see landmark buildings and structures such as St Paul’s, the London Eye, Tower Bridge and other skyscrapers in the city including The Gherkin and Walkie Talkie. Plus, we had a delicious meal AND view rather than just a view. The restaurant also has a bar where you can have a drink while admiring the sights of London. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).