Le Pont De La Tour
special offers
Bar and Grill: 2 courses £15
..from the a la carte menu (three courses £18) excludes Crustacean Excludes service and drinks, includes Vat. Available only in the Bar and Grill. Wine from £12.50 per bottle. Click for more details
Restaurant: 3 courses & a glass of Champagne: £25
...from the set menu. Includes Vat, excludes service Click for more details
our review
There’s no doubt that Pont has the best view in London. Other restaurants may be several storeys higher, some may be in swisher locations, but to see the iconic landmark that is Tower Bridge filling the sky as you eat takes the proverbial biscuit. Okay this means sitting outside and the lunch time we were there the sky went from blue and sunny to bloody awful and raining by the time we had dessert, but under the canopy we were nice and cosy and, it has to be admitted, by that point slightly squiffy on gorgeous wines by the glass from the superb wine cellar. The staff did kindly move us when the rain found a chink in the cover and watered down my wine a bit, but it wasn’t a problem for them or us.
All of the contentment came from Chef Lee Bennet’s menu of nice things well cooked. Beef tartare with the obligatory raw egg and capers was perfect for me, although my companion looked on in horror as I ate it and recoiled in disgust when I tried to get him to try a forkful. The gazpacho he chose instead worked well in the fading sunshine, the fresh well-ripened tomatoes gave it a delicate flavour accented by the roast cherry tomatoes bobbing about the bowl. A nice glug of a high quality Spanish extra virgin olive oil would have made it even better, though. The Seafood Platter, or Seafood Splatter as a certain kid I know calls it, had everything you need for fun by the shoreline and while the Thames isn’t the sea, it still delivered the right vibe to wolf down West Mersea rock oysters, potted crab, sea bass tartare, smoked salmon and caviar, plus a deconstructed prawn cocktail with liquidised lettuce, I wasn’t wholly enamoured with the latter, I like the traditional crunch of iceberg. Call me unhip, but there it is. Another starter, Foie Gras with spiced pear compote, was all it should be; rich and unctuous enough to you feel slightly decadent for eating it especially when washed down as it was with a rich Sauternes.
Loin and shoulder of lamb, potato fondant with aromatic spiced jus was a fine piece of lamb but the potato was hard and tasteless, which was something of a surprise at this level. Much better was Label Anglais chicken, braised cabbage and morel sauce, the chicken moist and tender, the morel sauce darkly bosky with the cabbage delivering bite and flavour and was a long way from the watery boiled mess it can so easily be.
As the rain came down in earnest, and even the table of famous ex-cricketers and Sky commentators who had been sat behind us gave up and went inside, we happily ploughed through a sharing menu selection of desserts including White chocolate mousse, passion fruit and coconut sorbet, toasted almond and cherry crème brûlée and pineapple tatin, with lime crème fraiche, all of which showed that there was a proper pastry chef in the kitchen.
The Pont always had the looks but the kitchen didn’t have the skills. Now with Lee Bennet it has the complete kit to deliver excellent food in a fabulous location.
NH - June 2008
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
Had dinner here on Tues 23rd June. My second visit and my second review. Last time I scored: Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10.
Food: 5. Starter of goats cheese was tiny and tasteless. It was just bread crumbed deep fried goats cheese (the size of a baby bell) with a few chunks of beetroot and some lettuce leaves. The main course was good, nice lamb chops, good flavour and cooked beautifully. The desert of lemon Brule was sickly sweet.
Service: 5. Slow and again impersonal, took over an hour from arriving to getting a started.
Atmosphere: 7. Again nothing wrong with the atmosphere. Nice to have the pianist playing.
Value for Money: 6. 3 courses for £18 is OK by London standards, better food would get a better score. I had thought there were two menus, one for the special offer and one for a la carte. Turns out they are the same thing. So, value for money is not as good as I thought last time.
Overall, nit sure I would go back.
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James Holden - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Poor food. Miserable portions. A tourist trap for foreignors who don't expect much of Britsh food and for Brits who are impressed by the setting and the flourishes. Someone else was paying for me but even so ,I was so cross the next day that I wrote my first ever bad review of a restaurant.
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Overall rating 
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
This is without a doubt a room with a view ! Their position on the river is just stunning...and for a mere 200.00 pounds this "view" could be yours for two hours. However, the price does include some poorly cooked and presented food.The evening started fine,receptionist was very welcoming and we waited at the bar and this is probably where we should have stayed...we ordered a bottle of Crement de Loire and just as we finished the first glass the table was ready...
We were so looking foward to Le Pont's Fruit de Mer..sadly the waiter forgot to inform us they weren't on the menu that day...we then asked them to make up some form of platter...request was refused due to no fresh shellfish arriving that day! Ok, it was a Monday but still it would have been ok if we were informed.
We had lamb and veal for our mains...the sauce for the veal had crusted over..and the lamb was just ok.the wait between courses seemed an eternity and we were so glad to pay and leave...never to return
Dreadful!
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Charlene Coleman - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Sooo disappointing! i went there first on a sunday afternoon for a late brunch at the bar and the food wasn't great but service and the jazz band made us forget about it. Last night we went back but to the restaurant this time. Maybe i;m getting old and too demanding but after 10 minutes spent wondering what was wrong with the cleanliness of the person sitting next to me, I realized the awful smell was coming from the "plateau de fromages" placed next to our table. when I asked candidly the french Maitre D if it could be moved away while we had our dinner, I;ve been answered with a condescending tone this was marble so impoooossible to move then he called another waiter as a witness and said "Look at this lady coming from the country of cheese who can;t stand its smell, ah ah ah!" then he turned away, didn;t even try to hide one of the most superbe shrugs I've ever seen and left, leaving me with the poor fellow to whom I felt obliged to explain that you can love cheese but not want to spend a whole evening with a sweating Munster on your lap. It was just totally irrespectful but as a proper french person, I could have lived with it if I had found compensation in my plate. But that was not the case..first the A la carte/ 3 courses £39.50 Menu nonsense to choose from. It can look like a bargain but half the menu includes a supplement, from 5 to 20 pounds. To make it short, the plateau de fruits de mer was tasteless except the clams (must have picked them by mistake), pieces of shell in the whelks, the crab full of industrial mayonnaise, the lobster from Canada, the red mullet not crispy on the top, the vegetables overcooked and my dessert, a granita made of pilled frozen champagne with chantilly was just disgusting. Only good thing is the atmosphere which is nice and cosy, live music comes from the bar (very good barman, great cocktails), so my advice would be to stick to the bar, have one or two drinks there, enjoy the view and the band, but don;t ask for more.
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Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Very disappointing ... what can i say.
We chose Le Pont de la Tour for its lovely alfresco setting and Thames views but the setting was the best thing that could be said about this restaurant. Hugely overpriced for what is essentially very average food and lukewarm service (the Maitre D seemed distinctly unimpressed when we mentioned that we had booked for the set menu). Not a happy customer and i will not be frequenting this restaurant again any time soon.
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Overall rating 
Food 4 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Le Pont de la tour was the best french meal i have had in a very long time. The service is brilliant. The atmosphere is brilliant and the food is at a michelin star level. It is extremely posh so not many kids go. The value for money is quite expensive but when it comes down to the star quality of the food it is most definitely worth it.
I got the deal of 3 courses and a glass of champagne from the menu of the day which consisted of 3 starters, main courses and desserts. They use a high amount of butter in their food which makes quite heavy but it is great. For Starters I got a mackerel with an onion,carrot and fennel salad and my son got a duck pate with leek terrine with nuts in the pate. The Main courses took a long time to come but it was certainly worth the wait. We both took cod with boiled potatoes and sauteed tomatoes with a butter sauce and got a side of spinach. The desserts were fantastic and changed the taste in our mouths. I got a blueberry and almond cake and my son took a lemon creme brulee.
Definitely a great restaurant and highly recommended.
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Silia Rashti
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, May 29, 2009
Since Lee's arrival as Head Chef last year, the menu has improved immensely. The Sunday lunch menu is simple but extremely well cooked and presented. The Yorkshire puddings must be the best in London. ( I always ask for two!)
The location couldn't be better. The wine can be expensive, but there are good wines at affordable prices.
On a Sunday lunchtime there is often live jazz in the bar, a great place to finish your meal with a coffee and port.
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PETER C - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, March 13, 2009
It is so expensive. We had a brunch there and it was £300 for 4 of us! Well, we did have two bottles of nice wine, but still! Now it has some reasonable offers, may try again? Honestly, the food is not bad...
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King - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Thursday, February 26, 2009
i took my girlfriend 2 pont 4 her birthday on 31st jan 09,i loved the piano atmosphere in the bar,had a fantastic bottle of jermane £45,moved into the main rest area and was kindly seated in a fantastic window table, 1 up 4 the seating staff. Time is now 9.30 and i was disappointed 2 b told warm fois gras was now finished so a cold terrine was ordered.my other half had sea food starter, which when arriving on a long oblong white plate dazzled us both with 5 seperate dishes.all what followed was fantastic.including the 2nd btl of jermane,.we had a wonderful nite thnx 2 all the staff,inc rod on piano.loved every minute.b bak soon.my mum needs a treat n i want the fois gras! X
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david harvey
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Sunday, February 15, 2009
It's not often that £13.50 for 2 courses can be bad value, but that was the case here. We came to the restaurant on a Saturday lunch for the set menu. The choice was very limited - mussels, mushroom pasta or "Gottage Pie" (yes that is a G).
I made the mistake of going for the pie. What arrived was a tiny, tasteless cottage pie. If I had been served this in a Wetherspoons I would have been disappointed. Poor quality, bland mince in a watery gravy with a few peas under a layer of mash. And that was it! I can honestly say I've had better cottage pies as oven cook meals from Asda. I was absolutely shocked that a restaurant would have the cheek to serve it to customers.
There were only 2 things that saved this review from being zeros all round. First, the dessert of chocolate mousse was actually very nice. Second, the "wine at shop price" offer was good value. However, in addition to the disgraceful main course, the restaurant was freezing cold, and the service was pretty poor (we asked the waiter if he knew any nice places for a cocktail nearby, and were promptly told to get the tube to Waterloo and visit another restaurant in the chain. Not an especially helpful response.)
I think this place is a real tourist trap and I feel a fool for being sucked in.
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SarahK - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Sunday, February 01, 2009
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