Oblix at The Shard

Oblix occupies the 32nd floor of The Shard, the first restaurant to open in the tower when it launched in 2013. Rainer Becker, of Zuma and Roka, conceived it as a New York-style grill, and the kitchen is built around fire: a wood-fired oven, rotisserie and charcoal grill run the length of an open pass. The room wraps the building on two sides, so the city sits at eye level from almost every table.

The floor divides into two. Oblix West is the grill proper, a warm, low-lit dining room of dark timber, tan leather and a book-lined wall, looking west over the Thames toward St Paul's and the West End. Oblix East is the bar and lounge, facing the City and Canary Wharf, where live bands and DJs play from Thursday to Saturday and the cooking gives way to cocktails and a lighter menu.

For private events the two halves work in tandem or apart. Oblix West takes exclusive hire for up to 120 seated, with the Library Table and the City View Corner set aside for smaller groups within the restaurant. Oblix East seats 90 or holds 250 for a standing reception, its lounge already given over to music. Both sides share the same asset: the whole of London laid out beyond the glass, at its most striking after dark.