Last Thursday we took an afternoon off work and headed down to London to make the most of it. There, I introduced the fella to Bird of Smithfield, one of my favourite haunts in Farringdon. It’s a Georgian townhouse which contains bars and restaurants over it’s five floors.
I’ve enjoyed many a quirky cocktail in the glitzy Birdcage bar in the basement but never before have I made it all the way to the rooftop terrace. After the past week’s monsoon like weather, however, it was something of a novelty to be able to relax whilst sitting outside so up and up we went!
In Summer Bird’s rooftop terrace is given a seasonal makeover to become the Spritz Garden, a secret green oasis adorned with jasmine trees, flamingos (not real unfortunately) and perhaps most importantly a bar! It’s a perfect antidote to the sticky bustle of the city on a hot day.
Harry the bartender was busy whipping up a bevy of refreshing Spritzers for us to try but after I spotted a few dark clouds looming on the horizon he stopped to show us how they cope with the unpredictable British Summer. The Spritz Garden is equipped with outdoor heaters and a retractable canopy roof to keep everyone dry and cosy!
We ended up trying all 3 Spritzers… it would have been rude not to really after seeing them lined up so prettily just waiting for us to dive in!
My favourite was the Belle Spritz which was a vodka infusion with cranberries, kaffir lime and manzanilla, mixed with sherry and soda.
The runner up for me was the classic Aperol Spritz which had a crisp refreshing tang that made me want to transport myself to a sandy beach somewhere (with the cocktail in hand obviously).
The fella’s top choice was the gin infused Garden Surprise, with orange zest, lavender, rosemary, lime, soda and Prosecco. It turns out that London loves it’s gin too – it’s the best seller on the menu!
Due to our, shall we say, ‘relaxed’ approach to planning we’d managed to turn up in between the times that the lunch menu and bar snacks are served. I was left kicking myself as I still haven’t tried the food at Bird’s and always slaver over it on Instagram!
It also meant that by the time we’d rounded off the drinks with a cool glass of Prosecco we were both feeling decidedly merry and in need of something to soak it all up. We bade our farewells and somehow made it back down the five flights of stairs in one piece, vowing to return on another fine day!
Location: 26 Smithfield St, London EC1A 9LB
Nearest Tube: Farringdon
Open: Until late September, Monday to Friday 12pm to 10pm and Saturdays 5pm to 10pm
Disclaimer: Thanks go to my friends at Bird Of Smithfield for inviting us along to experience all that the Spritz Garden has to offer and providing us with complimentary spritzers during our stay. All vodka infused views expressed in this post are, however, my own!
