London architecture and New York City architecture are different for many reasons. For example, our oldest buildings are brand new by London standards. Also, when a new structure is built in New York, builders don’t normally find Roman coins and dozens of skeletons buried beneath the ground like they do in London.

But perhaps the most visual difference is that the New York City skyline is filled with skyscrapers, whereas in London the buildings are much closer to the ground. Which means that the Sky Garden, on the 35th floor of London’s brand-new “walkie talkie” building, provides stunning 360° views of the city. In NYC, you wouldn’t be able to see anything from the 35th floor!

When you walk in, the Sky Garden takes your breath away.

Admission is free, and there are several bars and restaurants.

The atrium is surrounded by greenery, and you feel as if you’re in a greenhouse in the sky!

Jetting into the space above the Sky Garden is Darwin Brasserie, where my coworkers and I ate lunch one day.

The space is open and bright despite the dismal London weather outside.

We had a variety of entrees, with our favorites being the following:

Roast Stone Bass Fillet with pea puree, grelot onion and jus gras.

Fish & Chips featuring British line-caught haddock and chips (or, as we Americans say, fries) with tartare sauce and mushy peas.

The Handmade Pulled Pork Burger which is a pork burger topped with pulled pork in a toasted brioche bun and served with BBQ sauce, house slaw and a basket of chips.

And my favorite (and luckily, my dish!), the Artichoke & Ricotta Gnocchi with roasted salsify, baked celeriac and rosemary butter. It was so delicious, and the gnocchi was cooked perfectly!

The chips were pretty good too, and almost all of us had them with our meal.

For dessert, or “pudding” as Brits call all dessert (which can be very confusing, as an American), we selected the following:

The Chocolate Marquise covered in mint chocolate chip ice cream.

The Honeycomb Cheesecake served with mango sorbet and basil.

And the Blackberry & Apple Crumble served on custard.

It was such a fabulous lunch!

When we were finished (and were so full we felt like we just had Thanksgiving dinner) we headed out onto the Sky Garden’s observation deck to take in the views of London. Even though it was an overcast day, you could still see for miles.

You can find out more information on Sky Garden here. To make a reservation at Darwin Brasserie, click here.

You won’t find better views of London anywhere else.

~A