At the start of the year I started making a list of things to do in 2017, mainly based on things I said I wanted to do last year and never got around to. Amongst the many experiences in my list was ice skating. I’d spent many a weekend at the Sunday night disco at my local ice rink and many other weekends at Broadgate Ice Rink which was located just a short walk from my Theatre School in Barbican. I knew that the rink had moved from its usual home in Broadgate Circle but I hadn’t been in what I guesstimate to be about 6–8 years. I also didn’t know that Broadgate Skate rink was the longest standing ice rink in london after 30 consecutive seasons.
I finally got around to going one Sunday earlier this month and then as luck would have it I was invited down for a skate session and dinner — which I couldn’t refuse.
They have sessions all through the day and weekend with each one lasting 60 minutes in total. I arrived 15 minutes early to get my skates, meet my friend, Lysianne, and put my stuff away (beware the lockers need a pound coin which is non refundable!). As soon as the gates were open we were off!
…well, kinda! I commandeered one of the seal seats for Lysianne to perch herself on so I could skate her around the rink (she’s got a big cycle coming up and doesn’t wanna get injured, rightly so!). If I remember rightly the rink used to be circular but now it’s rectangular and a little bigger (I think). It wasn’t too crowded for our 1745 session although there were a few young and confident skaters on the ice who would make me a little more nervous if I had young children with me. The rink is lit up beautifully in addition to the lights from all the surrounding office blocks made it feel like the perfect little bubble to be in in the heart of the city of london.
Before we knew it, our session was over and we’d worked up quite an appetite. Despite having walked past Rocket maybe a million and one times, I hadn’t put two and two together to realise that was where we were headed for dinner so we literally walked around in circles for about ten minutes before we worked out where we were going! Worked out well anyway as we had fifteen minutes to kill to get to our booking so arrived just in time.
Rocket, located on Bishopsgate, describe themselves as a casual city dining restaurant perfect for anything from a business lunch, a fabulous dinner with great wines or a family-style meal. I loved how the restaurant part was separated from the main bar which made it feel a little intimate. We started off our evening meal with a cocktail from what was quite an extensive menu I opted for a ‘Tiki Tac Toe’ made with Havana Club 7yo, Tuaca, chilli syrup, orange juice & fresh lime topped with ginger beer & Peychaud’s Bitters.
If you read my ramblings regularly, you’ll know that I’m currently not eating a lot of meat — I eat what I fancy and on this particular evening I was Pescatarian (we have to have a label when dining out for clarity). On the recommendation of our waiter, I opted for the Garlic & Chilli King Prawns with Avocado along with his wine recommendation of Malbec (Santa Ana, Mendoza, Argentina 2015) when we shared our preference of a red for the evening.
Starters arrived swiftly followed by mains (I went for the Miso Salmon Fillet with Lotus Root Crisps) when we had finished. For dessert, I had the Pecan & Treacle Tart which was served warm with vanilla ice cream. The menu has a solid mix of dishes made with fresh ingredients and bold flavours; plus the service was super professional on top of a relaxed vibe.
We spent almost 3 hours in the restaurant, catching up, chatting and laughing so although I felt like every course turned up to our table super fast, I think it was more of a matter of time flying because we were having so much fun! So a huge Thank You to both Broadgate and Rocket for hosting us for the evening!
Did you make it to ice skate this winter?! Have you been to Broadskate of Rocket before?!
Elle :)
Follow on Facebook || Twitter || Instagram
Originally published on Blogger
