Oblix, Level 32, The Shard

Marie Claire's digital content editor heads up The Shard.

I've long been meaning to visit The Shard. It's one of those now-iconic landmarks that as a London resident is all too easy to pass over. Oblix, on the 32nd floor, and set up by the man behind Zuma and Roka, is one of several restaurants taking up highly valuable space in Western Europe's tallest building (the others being Aqua Shard Hutong, and Shard 35) and was well worth the wait.

Once we'd whizzed up in the elevator, unpopped our ears, found our seats in the lounge bar and oohed and aahed over the spectacular views of London, it was time to dip into the lovingly created cocktail menu. We started off with something from the sparkling section, namely the lemongrass, Tanqueray Ten, lime, Champagne concoction. It was fresh and fantastic. And, because that didn't last long (it had been a long day in the office), we then opted for the Voodoo Vie, which consisted of 23-year-old rum, caramel, banana, cinnamon and lime. Delicious.

You could head up to Oblix for the views and clever cocktails alone, but we couldn't resist tasting the menu conjured up by executive chef Fabien Beaufour. We started with a crisp salad of iceberg, blue cheese, pecan and pancetta (£9.50), which turned out to be one of the highlights - the sweet and savoury flavours combining beautifully. The lobster roll with celery and avocado (£18.50) was rich and tasty, the scallop and sea bream ceviche with cucumber and dill (£18.50) was a refreshing change of pace, while the lamb cutlets with harissa and yoghurt (£15) were succulent. Most of the dishes in the bar menu are small plates and designed to be shared. There is also a lunch menu and brunch is served at the weekends. 

It goes without saying that Oblix is expensive. It's most definitely a destination restaurant and perfect for a special occasion (we even witnessed a proposal when we were there - awww!). With sweeping views of the city, live jazz, mouthwatering cocktails and a truly special menu, we suggest you put this on your must-visit list.

Oblix, Level 32, The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY (020 7268 6700; oblixrestaurant.com)