I had thought I wouldn’t like this mandatory outdoor dining lark… but actually I become quite a fan of dining on terraces and rooftops. Al fresco dining in cold and often rainy London actually felt like a bit of a holiday abroad even if sometimes I was huddling under a blanket or covered terrace with heat lamps. I think anything would seem like a holiday after six months quarantining at home!
When Laura and I decided to meet for an outdoor dinner she suggested The Dorchester Rooftop but then followed that up with ‘But is that too much on a Thursday night…’ no. Nothing is too much. I hadn’t been out to dinner since November! With bookings being hard to come by I was so happy we managed to snag one!
I always feel a sense of gravity when entering The Dorchester, it’s such a beautiful hotel, plus it’s where we got married 7 years ago! That said I thought I knew this hotel pretty well, I’ve been here many times… but I had no idea there was a gorgeous dining terrace on the ninth floor accessed by one of the lifts.
And here’s the lovely lady who I hadn’t seen in months and months! You can see how gorgeous the bar looked, and considering it was The Dorchester, the vibe was very casual with live music and an outdoor open kitchen.
Behind me was a panoramic view of London, looking straight into Hyde Park and beyond. With Veuve Cliquot being the signature bubbly, we ordered a glass each to get started. 
I was very excited to see the menu which was rather different to the classic offerings at The Dorchester. Chef Mario Perera is currently operating a pop up serving food from his home country, Sri Lanka, inspired by summer! 
There’s the option of choosing a mixture of small and large plate and there’s also a choice of tasting menus on offer.
We loved the devilled red leg chicken lollipops and the accompaniment flight including pol sambal, seni sambal and ambarella chutney.
Laura has been to Sri Lanka twice and said we couldn’t have Sri Lankan food without a hopper, and I’d definitely recommend trying the delicious hen’s egg hopper. 
For a larger dish we chose the chargrilled spiced whole sea bass wrapped in banana leaves.
Pictures of the desserts didn’t come out well as the light dropped but we loved the Valrhona chocolate biscuit pudding with Ceylon arrack ice cream and the custard pudding with coconut and traditional jaggery.
We loved the food and atmosphere at The Dorchester Rooftop and it was just amazing to have a proper girls catch up!
