Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate: Does Europe’s highest restaurant live up to the Gordon Ramsay hype?
Eating A5 wagyu at 3am, 60 floors above London, isn’t exactly an everyday experience — unless you happen to be at Gordon Ramsay’s latest opening
Few London restaurants enjoy the bragging rights of Lucky Cat at 22 Bishopsgate by Gordon Ramsay. Sitting 60 floors above the city, it’s officially Europe’s highest restaurant, offering cinematic views of the skyline that make even the most familiar landmarks feel brand new. It’s also one of London’s latest-opening restaurants. At weekends, dine until 3am.
For a city with such a world-class food scene, London is shockingly bad at late-night dining. Even in the most vibrant parts of town, a decent meal past 11pm is near impossible to find (unless you consider an IBS-inducing doner kebab or a 24-hour McDonalds to be the height of culinary finesse), and certainly not in a setting as sleek as this. A place where you can order Japanese A5 wagyu, caviar, or a whole roasted suckling pig in the early hours? You know where to head after a big night out in neighbouring Shoreditch.
There is an extensive à la carte offering and three different set menus. We opt for Journey (£95 per person), the middle of the three choices, sitting between Explore (£75) and Signature (£125). At 10 courses, it felt like a reasonable exploration of this moodily-lit culinary sanctuary in the sky.
The food, mostly Asian-inspired, arrived in waves, starting with Kyoto cucumbers, baby squid, and pea guac. The cucumbers were simple but exceptional, thanks to a deeply savoury sesame dressing that transforms the humble into the highly addictive. The squid, however, was disappointing. A tiny portion. Six very small pieces, heavily coated in batter, with very little substance inside. It was dry and could have done with some sauce (scoff at Giggling Squid all you like, but at least it gets the basics right). The pea guac was clever. Creamy, minty, fresh. But, again, the portioning is off. Five shrimp crackers between two people? The dip was delicious, but we were left scraping at the bowl with our chopsticks, like it was the last bit of hummus in the fridge.
Next up, spicy tuna maki and wagyu gunkan. The maki is tiny – just three bites each – and while tuna maki is typically finely diced, this was taken to the extreme. The tuna was a purée, stripping it of any texture, making it feel more like a paste than the delicate, silky fish you’d expect. Given the extreme processing the tuna had endured, however, spicing was oddly absent, present only as a single blob of gochujang on top. It was simplicity taken too far. The wagyu gunkan, meanwhile, was exceptional. Smoky, deeply flavoured, and packed with umami, it’s the kind of dish you wish you had a whole plate of. But – and here we are again – the portion. One single, bite-sized piece per person.
The sweet and sour prawns arrive solo, and are easily one of the highlights of the night. Lightly crisped and brightened by pickled peppers and charred pineapple, they deliver the ideal balance of freshness and richness.
Then comes the heartiest part of the meal – the final wave: miso aubergine, Iberico pork chop, and baby chicken. The miso aubergine is rich, smoky, and sweet, with a lovely soft texture, and delicious orange sauce, but next to everything else on the table, won’t linger in my memory. The Iberico pork chop is a showstopper. Caramelised on the outside, juicy on the inside, with a depth of flavour that stays with you. The combination of saikyo miso, kimchi pickled gem, and mustard seeds create a beautifully layered complexity.
The baby chicken (swapped in for grilled miso salmon due to dietary requirements) was another hit. The teriyaki glaze is glossy and flavourful, working perfectly with Japanese aubergine and red onion to create something sweet, savoury, and deeply satisfying. Unlike the squid, this was juicy and well-seasoned.
Dessert is where things lost momentum. A single mandarin panna cotta to share was a quiet ending. The ginger crumb and coconut sorbet was lovely, but after 10 small courses, the meal needed something to match the elevation of the restaurant – and the restaurant really is something special. The only thing slicker than the interiors was the service. Every team member, from security to host, was warm and welcoming. Shout outs to Mo, Justyna, and Carlos, all of whom I want to be friends with.
Would I go back? For the pork, the wagyu, and the novelty of eating this high up at 2am – absolutely. Although probably not if I were starving.
