Marvel at Fenchurch’s tasting menu and sensational skyline views

Spotlight on Fenchurch, Sky Garden

Kerth Gumbs’ playful approach to fine dining makes him one of the capital’s most exciting chefs, as is evident in his brilliant tasting menus. Recently appointed Head Chef of Fenchurch Restaurant at London’s Sky Garden. Served 37 storeys up against a backdrop of spectacular city views from London’s highest public garden, Kerth combines the best British ingredients with Caribbean flavours and influences from his Anguillan heritage to create new, theatrical tasting menus.

Whimsical

Gumbs has two decades of experience working in numerous world-class restaurants, including Ormer Mayfair, Tom Aikens and Joel Robuchon’s L’Atelier.

With this knowledge and skillset, Sky Garden’s Fenchurch Restaurant can boast expertly executed dishes with just a touch of whimsicality.

Levels

Diners are welcomed with sensational snacks, which help set the tone for what is to come: the jerk beef tartare is wonderfully presented; the mac n cheese bites are a delight; and the sourdough bread and seeded lavroche, served with curried haddock (outstanding) and tomato butter (inventive) will get you excited for what’s next.

In homage to his Caribbean roots, three courses of seafood follow: the Johnny Cake served with pickled crab, scotch bonnet mayo and roe offers a fine balance between the pickle and fiery flavours; the fungi and salt fish served with octopus, gungo peas, okra and cornmeal is the most flamboyant of presentations, which will leave your jaw well and truly dropped on the floor; and the roast halibut with textures of cauliflower and roasted chicken butter sauce is perfectly weighted and textured.

The final savoury dish is the aged duck with tamarind, turnip and sorrel, which is divine in every form. The flavours and expert levels of cooking here are as high as the restaurant is above ground level.

Sweet Stuff

After the savoury dishes, diners get the opportunity to cleanse their palettes with soursop and pink peppercorn whiskey gummy bears, which are delightfully playful, before rounding off with Kerth’s contemporary take on an Anguillan speciality – a Conkie dumpling-inspired ducana cake featuring sweetened sweet potato, caramelised white chocolate, coconut and salted milk ice cream. This dessert is breathtakingly good, with some serious nostalgia in every spoonful.

Adapted and Paired

These dishes are brilliantly adapted for the vegetarian tasting menu – Johnny Cakes are served with courgette, mature cheddar and scotch bonnet mayo, with fungi, salt leek and nut-crusted aubergine also starring on the menu.

Each course can be paired with prestige wines which the expert sommelier has done a marvellous job with, or creative Caribbean-inspired cocktails made by the restaurant’s expert mixologists, including a Rhu-Tai made with rhubarb, orgeat and lime, a Rum Soul featuring chamomile, rosemary and lemon and an Aged Negroni with orange and bitters to complement the duck.

The tasting menu, including a vegetarian option, is priced at £95pp, with wine and cocktail pairings available for an additional £75pp and £65pp respectively.

We genuinely cannot recommend Kerth Gumbs’ dishes at Fenchurch enough – it’s a sublime take on contemporary fine dining that needs to be experienced to be believed.

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