In the middle of October, the bloke and I made our way to Millbank Tower along the river Thames in London for a date night. Millbank Tower is just down the river from the Tate gallery and is not far from Westminster; the tower is 118 meters tall. I had made a reservation in advance, and this included enjoying the views over London whilst sipping on a cocktail at Altitude London's Sky Bar, Skyloft (the bar/restaurant at the top of Millbank Tower) and a film in their ground floor cinema.
Skyloft
We went straight to the venue after work and were told to get the lift up, which we did. We arrived at Skyloft with an impressive view of west London all around us. We were the first to arrive, so we got the drinks order in quickly. I already knew, from the menu that I read online, that the Millbank Melon was the cocktail for me. I love melon cocktails. This one contained coconut and melon rum, pineapple juice and orange juice.
Cocktails at Millbank
However, I was worried that it would taste a little too much like rum, so I had a bellini. My partner had the Long Island (vodka, gin, tequila, rum, and Cola).
Cocktail
The cocktail was nice and fruity. I sipped it in between taking a load of photographs of London, and we got to watch a beautiful pink-purple sunset appear as dusk fell over the city.
Views of Westminster
Looking toward the City
Looking toward Battersea
I went around to the different windows and got photographs over Westminster, the City, and Battersea. I could make out all of the landmarks, and the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus could also be seen as the light faded.
Skyloft bar
The bar area expands a good portion of the open plan room. One side is for the bar, and the other side is set up for a restaurant. I was able to get many photographs because the restaurant was empty, and the bar was empty as well. However, the bar did get busier as the time progressed due to others arriving to see the same film.
I liked the brickwork and the decor of the bar area with couches and chairs set up near the windows, each with trendy pillows on them. I've wanted a Union Jack pillow for some time.
After polishing off the first cocktails, I ordered a second one. I actually got two because I was not sure which one to try. In the end, I decided to try the Millbank Melon, and it was lovely. I got the Raspmopolitan, which is a Cosmopolitan with raspberry vodka. I love raspberry vodka with cranberry juice. It also had Cointreau in it, and it was a little too strong. The bellini and melon were my favourites.
As we had just come from work, we decided to get dinner here. I did not have any lunch due to being swamped at work, so we both ordered burgers (sliders) from the restaurant menu. We still had to sit in the bar area, as the restaurant was fully booked. The restaurant actually has the nicest views as the windows face west London. I had the chicken slider, and this came with chips. This was just enough for me.
Chicken slider and cocktails
I got several photographs of London as the lights were starting to come on.
After we had finished eating and admiring the views, we got the lifts back down to the ground floor where the film was being shown. The deal came with free popcorn each, so I collected our popcorn and ordered a couple additional drinks before we were ushered into the cinema.
Popcorn
The film for the evening was "What If", starring Daniel Radcliffe, and it was released last year. The film is set in Toronto and follows the complicated relationship between Radcliffe's character and the lead female character (Zoe Kazan) from the beginning of their friendship.
Overall, it was a fun night out, and we walked all the way from Millbank Tower to Waterloo, dodging tourists at Westminster and Big Ben. Walking around London in the evening when there's not quite so many people is much more bearable, and there's something charming about London at dusk and in the evening.
Have you been to the Millbank Tower for cocktails or a film or food? What did you think?
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