Bōkan - Canary Wharf, London

There aren't many spots in London where you can luxuriate on the 39th floor. Bokan fits the bill just in time for summer sunshine, with incredible views of London's skyline and the financial district, where guests can stroll 360 degrees around the Canary Wharf rooftop for a decent eyeful of Kent to boot. With a rustic Scandinavian design, subtle industrial accents inspired by the Docklands surrounds, Bokan manages to create an enchanting environment that's as hygge as it is vertiginous, with accomplished dining stirred in for good measure. 

Spread over three floors, Bokan is moodily decorated with floor candles, wooden stump stools, neutrally hued cushioned seats, big worn wooden beams and tables that wouldn't be out of place in Faviken. Special mention goes out to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the toilets, which offer one of the most dizzying bathroom experiences in the Smoke. On a Thursday night it was humming with an array of Canary Wharfers kicking back after a day in the office, yet it wasn't overcrowded in any sense. 

Like the design, head chef Aurelie Altemaire's menu straddles British and New Nordic cuisines. A Portland crab meat salad intermixed with turnips, rhubarb and vanilla was aptly paired with a spritely Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde. Morels, green asparagus, egg and sweet onion puree were served in a jar with woodsmoke piped in, and married with a suitably buttery Ladichelle Pierre Dupond Chablis. For our mains we enjoyed Rhug Estate grass-fed lamb cutlets with charred aubergine and chimichurri as well as an entire lobster with green mango salad, orange and jasmine sauce. 

We wrapped up our meal with an excellent lime pain de gene to share, accompanied by rhubarb confit, ginger cream and honey ice cream. Bokan is a wonder both to look at and to taste, and looks poised to achieve new heights, perhaps even as one of Canary Wharf's best restaurants. 

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