The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2026 - Issue 39

Exclusive Dinner bitecuisine T he breathtaking view from the 31st-floor Aqua Shard res- taurant and bar inside the Shard in London Bridge offers sweeping, floor-to-ceiling panoramas of the River Thames, Tower Bridge, and the historic City of London. As your eyes glide across the skyline, you may spot landmarks such as HMS Bel- fast and the Tower of London. A renowned fine dining restaurant and bar, Aqua Shard is celebrated for its contemporary British cuisine and glamorous, high-energy atmosphere. On 12 May, the restaurant presented a collaborative dinner with BG Fish Supplies, a family business run by Serge Lea and his father, Re- iss, who was born and raised in Whitechapel. Their relationship with Executive Chef Mark Abbott, now in his second year at the restaurant, is symbiotic and marked by mutual respect. Shaped by his formative years at the two-Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge, Abbott approached the dinner as a tribute to showcasing the supplier’s fish in elevated ways. Established around 2019 in Bethnal Green, BG Fish Supplies has grown into a highly acclaimed supplier to top hotels, caterers, and Michelin-starred restaurants across London. Having worked as a chef for nearly 12 years at hotels and restaurants, Serge explained that the staff had to prep the fish specifically. He used this concept to provide a specialised service, enabling dining establishments to focus on cuisine presentation rather than employing in-house fishmongers. Aqua Shard’s dining room is already one of London’s most cinematic spaces, but on this particular evening, the atmosphere felt heightened. Upon arrival, we were greeted with NV Veuve Clicquot, Yellow Label BG Fish Supplies