I’m not going to lie when I was asked to review the experience at Ice Rink Canary Wharf, I was scared, I hadn’t been ice skating for about ten years. Would I fall over? Would I be clinging to the side? Would I get my fingers sliced by a rogue blade?
But the review came with the promise of lunch at Q Grill, and I could not resist the lure of the Choctails after trying them at the Le Chalet, the Q Grill pop-up on Selfridge’s rooftop.
It’ll be fine, I thought, we’ll go on the ice for ten minutes, take some silly pictures and then we can go and have cocktails….
It was also a great opportunity to try out the Butterfly Twist ballet pumps that I’d been sent.
You may have noticed I’m not one to wear flat shoes often, but I didn’t think killer heels were appropriate for an ice rink. These were so comfy and I loved the zebra print which spiced up my all black outfit. They’re ideal for a night out as you can fold them up and put them your handbag, ready for the end of the night when your six inch stilettos are starting to pinch!
And here’s my feet all ready to go…
And my ice cool date for a day on the rink…
There was time for a quick pre-iceskating selfie…
And then we were ready to hit the ice…
‘We’re only going for like ten minutes, right’ I said to Mr S, who was more excited about this rather unusual date than I was.
I gingerly teetered on to the ice…
And something unexpected happened…
….I absolutely loved it!
And despite the fact we were in Canary Wharf and surrounded by skyscraping banks, it was actually really festive and romantic.
And soon we were gliding around the rink like a couple of pros from Dancing on Ice…
It’s just like riding a bike… you never really forget…
Plus the whole thing felt delightfully retro, it reminded me of my 15 year-old self at the roller disco.
Even the music reminded me of my youth as tunes from East 17, R Kelly and Five blasted on to the ice. It was so much fun, Mr S and I were dancing to the music, being silly and just having a great time. It was so much fun that not only did we stayed on for the whole hour, but it just whizzed by… by which time we were ready for lunch. Ice skating burns a lot of calories you know.
The inside of Q Grill was also fabulously festive, it felt like an Alpine Chalet with wood affect walls…
…lights hanging from the ceiling and baubles brightening up the bar area.
There also an open bar area outside just by the rink, where you can sip on a glass of mulled wine whilst watching the skaters go by.
We chose The Malt for our choctail to share, made with hot chocolate and malted milk, it tasted like a hot milkshake…but this isn’t for kids as there’s a hefty swig of Bourbon in there.
Hot chocolate cocktail, whipped cream, malteasers…what is there not to like…
Though admittedly it’s a bit weird having it with savoury food and actually I’d suggest getting one rather than a dessert.
And I ordered a rather more ‘sensible’ glass of prosecco to have with my lunch.
The concept at Q is a simple one it is a menu made up of seasonal produce with locally sourced ingredients. Actually the menu is right up Mr S street: ribs, wings, fried chicken, burgers and steak all feature. I was also spoilt for choice too in terms of light options and sea food.
He settled on a portion of wings for his starter, and I must say the serving was incredibly generous, definitely enough for a main course. He got stuck right in loving the barbecue flavour and was generous enough to let me have a taste. The chicken was incredibly tender and well cooked, definitely a perfect choice for the cold day.
My pretty plate of seared tuna was the antithesis of my husband’s choice and I really enjoyed my light starter. One thing that was a little odd was the menu said the dish included horseradish, which didn’t seem to be present on the plate. I think the ingredient would have enhanced the dish as I would have enjoyed an extra kick of spice.
The spicy corn bread, which arrived in a cute paper bag, added some heat to my starter and I loved the spongy texture.
To continue the festivities we ordered a glass of the mulled wine to try.
Well, it is Christmas after all 🙂
My main course was sea bass with pinto bean and jalapeno salsa and a side of root vegetables. When I saw the char on the fish I was worried it would be over cooked but actually it was perfect and I loved the accompanying spicy beans.
Mr Silver’s epic starter was followed by a huge main course, a whole rack of ribs. Ribs are one thing I won’t eat, so I asked Mr S to describe them for me.
‘How do they taste?’ I said
‘Good’ he replied
Hmmm…that’s not very helpful….
‘Give me a more descriptive word’ I insisted
‘Charcoal-ly’ was the response
So Mr Silver sat and ate his good, charcoal-ly ribs. I’ve mentioned before Mr S rarely leaves food on his plate, but once again Q defeated him and he was unable to get through the entire rack. To be fair, I’m not surprised as the portion was very generous, they also offer a half rack which would have definitely sufficed. We were both so full but for the good of the blog we had to order dessert.
‘Dessert get loads of likes on Instagram you know’ I told Mr S. We ordered the Bramley Apple and walnut cobbler and a couple of coffees.
And were pleased to see it was actually quite a small portion. Mr S just about managed a few forkfuls 😉
I have to say that despite my apprehensions, our day at Ice Rink Canary Wharf was the most fun I’d had in ages, we both totally loved it. Q Grill is one of the those places where you can’t go wrong, the food is totally fab and the atmosphere casual and friendly. It was the perfect way to lead into Christmas week and an ideal day date.
The Ice Rink is open 7 Days a week up until the 28th of February.
Ice Rink Canary Wharf and Q on Ice
Canada Square Park
Canary Wharf
E14 5AB
