| Everyday London Life Events

Up ‘On the Roof with Q’ and on the buses with Pimms

You’ve got to love summer in London, it may only last about two weeks but what a fantastic two weeks they are… Hanging out in roof top bars drinking champagne, chilling out in pub gardens drinking rose and picnics in the park with a bottle of wine… now that’s is the life.
My favourite of these summer drinking options is a roof top bar… I love taking in the view of London whilst enjoying the beautiful weather and sipping on something cold. So when I heard Selfridges was launching a series of rooftop experiences I was keen to check out the latest happenings at one of my favourite department stores. The combination of shopping and a rooftop bar sounds like a winning one..or perhaps a slightly dangerous one!
Q Grill is the first restaurant to take over the roof top at Selfridges.

 

We’d chosen the perfect day for it, the sun was shining and there was barely a cloud in the sky!
The place was packed and the lively vibe, coupled with the astroturf on the ground, reminded me of the The Standard in New York!
This is the first time I’ve been brave enough to put a ‘footsie’ (foot-selfie) on my blog, but I love these new blingy Tori Burch shoes that I bought in Vegas.
With weather this fabulous, clearly the time was ripe for a cocktail.

 

 

We both chose an English Summer Spritz with kiwi fruit, kamm and sons, elderflower and English Sparkling wine.
From the idyllic rooftop garden there are panoramic views across the London skyline.
We could see The Shard, The Gherkin and The Houses of Parliament.
Food comes out from an open kitchen and summery BBQ dishes are available as well as some lighter options. As Mr S and I are keeping it light at the moment we opted to start with some small dishes to share.
A beautifully presented rare tuna dish had a spicy kick from the pepper and wasabi avocado.
Seabass ceviche was our other light and raw choice. The dish had a delicious chilli heat and the spicy plantain was the perfect pairing to add a crunch to the dish.
My choice for main course was the fish of the day, a whole sea bream which I paired with a green salad.

 

I know some people are a little put off by a whole fish with a head and tail and would prefer to have it filleted. But I prefer to keep the fish whole, I like the challenge of it, plus it retains the flavour better. The fish was perfectly cooked and the peppery seasoning was totally delicious.

 

 

It was prawns for Mr S served with fregola. Again the fish dish had a delicious peppery seasoning. They love their pepper at Q Grill but they definitely know how to use it!!
We finished off our delicious meal with a coffee that came with a cute and quirky milk bottle.
I loved Q Grill and if the weather holds I’ll definitely go back. Aside from the restaurant there’s also a bar which caters for all my champagne-with-view-needs…

 

After leaving Selfridges we ambled along South Molten Street and came cross this:
Another fab way to enjoy the British Summer Time. Drinking from a big red double decker in the middle of the street!

 

With red tents and Pimms deckchairs! Unfortunately I’m one of those strange people who doesn’t like Pimms but it would be rude not to have a glass of rose!!
Unfortunately, the Pimms Bus was only popping up for the weekend so my pictures are only to tantalise you as it’s now driven off into the sunset…
In a week’s time I’m looking forward to heading to Camden Beach at The Roundhouse with a group of bloggers for live music, several cocktails and some tasty food! Have you heard of any cool and quirky ways to celebrate London in the sunshine? Let me know in the comment form below.
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