Making a cappuccino in your favourite office mug; having ‘one more’ before jumping on the tube home; not having to think about how many sheets of loo roll to use before you enter your own bathroom. We’re all guilty of taking things for granted and if you’re anything like me (or the rest of the nation), I bet you’ve been replaying your last night out on a loop since lockdown. My last night out happened to be one of my favourites in a while, and coincidentally my first ever London staycation.
Boundary in East London had plenty going for it when I visited so hopefully my last hurrah on the town will give you a taste of what to look forward to when all this is over, and rationing Andrex is a distant memory.
Hints of mustard and mint add splashes of colour to The Benchmark Suite.
Found on Redchurch Street, Boundary London has as many faces as a Rubix cube: it boasts a cafe, a bakery, a deli and its very own grocery store, but I was here to admire the heated rooftop (one of London’s best) and its boutique hotel.
Made up of 17 rooms, each one distinct in style and design and taking inspiration from 20th-century designers, I found myself checking into the Benchmark Suite for my one night stay. One swipe of our keycard welcomed us into an airy two floor apartment. A large living room can be found on the ground floor, equipped with a Scandi-style grey couch fat enough for two, a flat screen TV alongside a lengthy desk space sparsely decorated with hardbacks specialising in interior design. Upstairs echoed the minimalism of below; a double bed wrapped in crisp sheets looking onto a second flat screen TV, and the room came flooded with natural light from double height, floor-to-ceiling windows that would look at home in an art gallery and the bathroom was a black and white tiled masterpiece
There's no need to crane your neck for smashing city views at the hotel's rooftop.
Boundary’s rooftop is just as impressive as its suites, boasting a heated glass Orangery that remains open all year round. Settling in for our 7pm reservation, our dinner plans kicked off with a glass of Tor del Colle (£8); a little vegan number from Italy carrying blackberry and cherry notes. A couple of sips and swirls of the deep-purple liquid and we could see the starters making their way over from the open-plan kitchen. Spiced monkfish came enveloped in a tempura batter with coconut lemongrass (£10.50) and an Everest-like mountain of salt and pepper crispy calamari was endlessly dunked into a creamy pot of sriracha aioli (£12.50). The main course - Côte de Boeuf for two (£29.50 each), was immaculately presented with meaty roasted garlic portobello mushroom, silky porcini cream sauce and golden shoestring fries on the side. The robata grilled 35-day aged Irish cut itself? It was marbled with fat, packed full of flavour.
Not staying at Boundary? The rooftop is still work a visit.
The DesignMyNight Digest
Waddling back down to the third floor before 10pm with my belly full and the perfect consumption of wine for a decent night’s sleep, I’ve never been happier to miss a night out in Shoreditch. Boundary was the perfect weekend escape, and has now made me think twice before gallivanting on a Virgin Train for some R&R. And looking back at splish splashing around in the giant bathtub, the joy of reading my book in peace and gawping at the bright city lights on their rooftop, I didn't need lockdown for me to appreciate every second of my staycation.
If you the look of like this, then check out our pick of the best hotels with rooftops in London.
