Tried & tasted: Radio Rooftop Bar

The menu at the rooftop bar at this Meliá Hotels property says it all: Tapas con vistas, which translates as “tapas with views” and what views they are to be sure, taking in such iconic sights as Tower Bridge, St Paul’s and the Houses of Parliament, writes Colette Doyle.

The property – a member of Meliá’s hip ME brand, designed to attract a cool clientele – is located beside the recently renovated Marconi House, which was once the headquarters of the BBC. It was here that the first radio broadcast was made in 1922, hence the bar’s designation.

Nowadays, this swish space is a distinctly upmarket interpretation of your standard tapas bar, with nary a Spanish tortilla in sight. Instead, the menu offers up such esoteric delights as watermelon gazpacho, white asparagus with alioli dressing, courgette flowers with goat’s curd and truffle honey and – the highlight for me personally – dates stuffed with Picos de Europa blue cheese and tocino (bacon made from pork belly). The sweetness of the dates contrasts perfectly with the bold, almost spicy taste of the cheese and the meat adds depth to the dish.

The beautiful presentation goes some way to compensate for the prices – £12.50 for four slivers of Manchego cheese seems a tad steep – so make sure you come here on a generous expense account.

The drinks menu is again pricey but also inventive, featuring an irresistible selection of cocktails that includes a number of champagne-based libations (at £13 a pop). A Passionate Affair is a wonderfully zesty concoction of Bombay Sapphire gin, apricot and passion fruit, while the bar’s signature drink, the aptly named Sip ME, blends hibiscus and raspberry to delicious effect.

The bar attracts a smart, dressed-up crowd and the DJ ensures a clubby vibe, meaning this is a place to see and be seen – the ideal venue to take clients whom you particularly want to impress. The music makes itself heard, so this probably isn’t somewhere best suited for talking business – instead, sit back, relax and wallow in the spectacular scenery.

Radio Rooftop Bar; ME London Hotel, 336-337 The Strand, London WC2R 1HA; 0845 601 8980; melia.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/london/me-london/radio-rooftop-bar.html