Winter terraces and rooftops are such a festive, wintery treat. Especially when they can glam up a cold wintery evening with a little bit of warmth and sparkle.
With this on my mind I went to the launch of ritzy Cantonese restaurant Tattu’s winter terrace.
Sharing a home with Mediterranean restaurant Cavo in the ultramodern Now Building part of the Outernet precinct on the Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road intersection, you can find Tattu at the top of the building, six floors up.
I met my friend Simon at Now Building’s massive, often frenetic, digital screens which at that moment in time were showering viewers and passersby in a deluge of emojis.
An elevator whisked us up to the venue and as the doors opened we were greeted by an elaborate glitzy bar.
Originally hailing from Manchester and with locations dotted around the UK, Tattu rocks a Northern glam aesthetic, which is to say it’s not shy about wanting to make statement.
It was fairly quiet on the night I paid it a visit, but DJ Fat Tony has played during a weekend service or two, so this particular Wednesday was perhaps an anomaly.
To call the terrace a terrace is a bit of a mislabelling, as it is a fully covered compact section of the restaurant, which gives an illusion of a terrace thanks to huge windows running across two sides.
These windows offer a cracking view of London, although on one side, a car park (or maybe it was a construction site) features pretty prominently.
The theme for this year’s winter terrace is The Great Snow which is billed as “a celebration of winter as the Northern Hemisphere comes frozen in silvers and whites”.
Indeed, a hedge of frosted foliage lined the back of some pretty comfy looking seats, backlit with a cold blue light in sections. There was even some of this foliage suspended from the ceiling.
Fairy lights, plus the lighting inside the surrounding buildings added a sparkly effect to the place. Sheepskins and cosy textures gave the terrace a snug vibe.
Two cocktails have been made specially for the winter terrace. We tried few of Zhanshi, a white Russian of sorts with Patron, coffee and oat milk. These were good and quite drinkable, although you may not be able to have more than a couple, as rich as they are.
The Great Snow is a vodka and prosecco-based drink, and while I was game to try it, I always seemed to miss out on the drinks going round.
The dim sum style picky bits were good. Simon and I managed to nab a few mini beef spring rolls that had dabs of bright sauce which gave the crunchy morsels touch of welcomed heat and steamed triangle dumpling was also pretty good.
Tattu’s terrace boast a pretty great view of the city with a hefty dose of glam. And if the small space has filled up by the time you arrive, a drink or two at that sleek bar wouldn’t be bad idea.
Find Tattu at The Now Building Rooftop, Outernet, Denmark Street WC2H 0LA and for more information, visit tattu.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here