Once upon a time, in the distant faraway lands of West London, there lived a rooftop bar.
This magical rooftop paradise had taken up residence on top of the old BBC Television Centre, and was home to four pop-up restaurants and two bars.
It was sunny, beautiful, and known across the land as the perfect spot for some after-work drinking and dining.
They called it… Pergola on the Roof.
We’d heard from several people (including the lovely Katie!) that the best way to experience Pergola was by gathering a big group of friends and booking a table in advance.
This is EXCELLENT ADVICE.
They only take bookings for groups over 6 people, but if you don’t book you might be waiting a (long) while to get in.
As you can see from the photos: it gets busy!
We arrived on a sunny Wednesday at 6:30pm to find the queue already snaking out of the building and all the way round the block. You have been warned.
Seriously: Pergola is probably the prettiest place I’ve ever been in London.
The draping greenery, the pink and yellow flowers, the fairy lights, the sunshine, the turquoise tables… BEAUTIFUL.
We grabbed some drinks (your first one is free when you sign up to their newsletter!) and settled down at our table to analyse the menus.
The food choice is eclectic and FABULOUS.
Salt Yard, Le Coq, Rabbit and Patty & Bun are the four restaurant pop-ups available to choose from, and we tried all of them apart from P&B (mostly cos the queue was long and we were hungry!)
The rotisserie chicken from Le Coq was delicious. Drizzled with a harissa yoghurt and coriander dressing, it was tender and full of flavour and an absolute win.
The skin-on chunky chips with scratchings (also from Le Coq) were also a favourite. The chips are cooked in chicken fat, which makes them salty and flavourful, and the addition of scratchings is simple but effective. Our whole group loved them!
Rabbit was next on our list.
I ordered the hand-dived scallop served with garlic butter, chorizo crumb and samphire and it was DIVINE.
I’m pretty sure I made a very inappropriate noise whilst eating it.
They’re cooked fresh on the grill, right in front of you, and I’d definitely eat this again!
Next, Charlie and Emma had both been raving about the deep-fried courgette flowers from Salt Yard, so Jasmin, Erica and I headed over in that direction.
I’ve been a massive fan of courgette flowers, ever since I tried making my own at an Italian cooking class last year. These ones were crispy, perfectly cooked, and filled to bursting with Monte Enebro cheese. They were absolutely DELICIOUS, and the honey drizzle on top was the perfect finishing touch.
Milly ordered the chorizo and piquillo pepper roll, which came topped with fresh rocket and garlicky aioli. It looked delicious and I’m gutted I was too full to try it!
And finally dessert. Charlie opted for the “Salt Yard Mess”, a pot of mascarpone, crushed meringue and strawberries that was as tasty as it was pretty!
Honestly, I can’t recommend Pergola enough. We had SUCH a lovely evening!
It’s rare to find somewhere in London that is not only pretty and serves amazing food, but also takes bookings. In fact, forget rare. I can’t think of ANYWHERE else in London like that!
Unfortunately it’s only open until the 29th of August 2016 so make sure you don’t miss out.
You can book for free through the website or on the phone, and there’s no blocked times for tables either. No need to worry that you’ll get kicked out of your seat after an hour!
Just turn up, sit back, relax, and live happily ever after…
PERGOLA ON THE ROOF
TELEVISION CENTRE
WOOD LANE
W12 7RJ
Closest tube station: Wood Lane or White City
