With Christmas just around the corner it can be so hard to know what to buy for friends and family, especially as you get older as people have all the 'things' they want or need. In recent years I've been giving the gift of time to those I love. I have taken my Mum and daughters away to hotels, for gorgeous food or for thrills like Go Ape but it really can take so much time finding the best deals and planning it all.
What I've discovered this year is that there are companies who can do all the hard work for you, and brilliantly you can still secure a great price. I've been working with buyagift.co.uk to review their "The View from The Shard with Three Courses and Cocktails at London Steakhouse Co." experience. The current price is £95, against an RRP of £160, so that's a brilliant saving of 41%.
The cost to book direct with The View from the Shard for two adult tickets is £49 and if you booked a three course set meal direct with the London Steakhouse Co. it would be £59, then £21 for the two cocktails, so that makes a total of £129 when booked direct. This means the £95 really is a very good saving and considering you know the experience is tried and tested, and you can read lots of independent reviews on the site, I think that's great.
Last weekend my husband and I headed up to London to attend a conference and stay overnight and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to go and try out the London Steakhouse Co. and we were not disappointed. There is the choice of the City or Chelsea restaurant and we opted for the City as this was most convenient for us and it is a great location, easily accessible to all the major train stations and just a few minutes walk from Liverpool Street tube station.
You can feel the restaurant has an air of relaxed luxury from the moment you walk in, the Maître d'hôtel was very friendly and welcoming, and we were glad to find it not too busy on a Friday lunchtime. As part of the experience you are guaranteed the table for one hour and forty-five minutes but I don't think you'd be turfed out if the restaurant wasn't busy. We spent about an hour and a half there and that was ample time to enjoy our three courses and cocktails without feeling rushed. Our service was really attentive and anything we needed wasn't too much trouble.
Let me show you what we choose from the set menu. We had a choice from four cocktails to start and we went for the Cranberry, Cointreau and vodka one, which was so delicious and you can see it in the top picture. Then there are four starters, including a vegetarian option, followed by four main courses, including a fish option and you can upgrade to any of the steaks off the main menu for a supplement too.
If you wish to have any side dishes, it is worth noting that you'll need to pay for these at £5.25 each, and it appeared that the steak was literally just served alone, so you'd probably need to order something with that. Then finally there are five choices of dessert included and you can add a tea or coffee for £3.50 per person.
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| Chicken Liver Parfait with toasted brioche, which was deliciously creamy but needed a little more brioche |
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| Beetroot and goats cheese salad, with a walnut dressing, which my husband really enjoyed, he said it was very refreshing |
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| We both opted for the Beef Bourguignon, served with creamed potatoes and then went for a side of seasonal veg (broccoli) and buttered greens with lardons. I would recommend this in a heartbeat as it was divine |
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| I fancied a classic rice pudding and got a twist on it with spiced, poached pear on top, tt was amazing! |
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| My husband went for the Lemon Posset with Raspberries and he enjoyed that too |
I have visited the View from the Shard before so I know it is a lot of fun and you can get some great photos from up there, you just have to pray for a clear day and no rain!
We had a great time in London with Buyagift and I'll happily use them again in the future to buy experience gifts for friends and family.
Disclosure: We received this experience for free from buyagift for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.
