thewharf

Novotel to open Bokan sky bar and restaurant near Canary Wharf.

Head chef Aurelie Altemaire, formerly of L’Atelier De Joël Robuchon, has created a menu of modern European dishes with a distinctly British slant, apparently.

Jon Massey

By Jon Massey

While nobody could suggest Canary Wharf lacks tall buildings that hasn't translated into a plethora of places to dine and drink at altitude.

Rumours abound of secret bars atop the banks' towers, hidden doors and secret passwords.

For those without the know, however, only Clublonge39 offers the possibility of eating up high on the estate, while The Attic at Pan Peninsula is accessible to all by booking although specialises in overpriced cocktails with your views.

But things are shifting. Novotel London Canary Wharf is set to open its doors on Marsh Wall in January including a restaurant, bar and terrace spread across its 37th, 38th and 39th floors.

Amid the cacophony of branding is an Anglo Saxon name, Bokan (meaning beacon or lighthouse) atop a sleek grey modern tower and an insistence on European cooking with a "British slant" on its food created by a French chef.

We're told diners may wish to start with "sharing tiles of British charcuterie and cheeses" before moving on to the likes of line-caught cod or Highland venison pie.

Head chef Aurelie Altemaire, previously in the same role at at L’Atelier De Joël Robuchon is a significant scalp for the east, however, and suggests the chain is putting cash behind its Isle Of Dogs venture.

Perhaps she was tempted back having already served at height for a foodie pop-up suspended from a crane on what was Wood Wharf?

And once sated by the food (which also includes experimental bar nibbles such as, well, Scotch eggs, apparently) guests can flop about on plush day beds while the strains of DJs lull them toward the inevitability of Sunday's bottomless boozy brunch.

Decadence high above E14's bustling streets? We can't wait.