Cantina del Ponte

Great location with a nice atmosphere but the food is awful.

I ordered the 2 courses deal for £14 or something like that, which I thought was a really good deal, until the food arrived.

I got a starter of bruschetta, which was dry, boring and tasteless. Then for the main I had pesto pasta, which incidentally was also dry, boring and tasteless. Absolutely no flavour in anything, I had a feeling of intense dissatisfaction afterwards although my belly was full.

Service was friendly and polite however I won't return due to the appalling quality of food.
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Martha
5 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Monday, July 18, 2011

I booked the special offer on Saturday night. All the staff were very professional throughout - not intrusive but very attentive. Admittedly they weren't busy but oddly thats often when service is poor. The place was smart looking and of course a great location. We only had two mains and a desert but I was very happy with my plaice with couscous. Clearly there was portion control but the chocolate pudding afterwards was fine. Complimetary bread and excellent olive oil was a nice touch. A bottle of Italian white was perfectly good for £18. I wouldn't say anything was earth shattering but I would definately return for a pleasant, relaxed meal in a central location.
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Gerard
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, January 25, 2010

Following on from the dire review that I gave to Cantina Del Ponte I was invited by the restaurant manager to return with a guest to see if they could improve on my first experience - and I'm glad to say they did.

Firstly, I rather cheekily turned up with not one guest but three, and despite having entered our booking at the wrong time they managed to find us a table in the almost empty restaurant and presented us with complimentary glasses of prosecco. Our starters went from the rather average brushetta with olive oil and garlic (lacking in the garlic and over oiled) to a delightful beef carpaccio which was delicately seasoned and covered in rocket and parmesen. Main courses, Seafood stew with couscous was really nice - good flavours and a generously sized portion although one companion complained the prawns were slightly dry. Two steaks were served with a delicious tomato sauce - one a rare steak came out medium rare, and a medium steak was rare on one end and rather gristly. A chicken and pate dish was very tasty. For dessert two of us plumped for the rhubarb pastry which was delightful and light and would have been great if it had of come with a blob of icecream. Another companion said of her biscotti with dessert wine, "have eaten exactly same thing from costa - not to say it was bad, it's just that it tastes pretty much the same wherever you go".

All in all the food was decent albeit not spectacular and presently really well. But what saved the Cantina Del Ponte from being an average meal was the service. Attentive, sweet, funny and helpful Italian waiters who were more than happy to advise on wine and food selections - and also happened to be entirely gorgeous to boot. Frankly the food could have been awful and we still would have happily sat there enjoying the view (including the view of the Thames!). Would we go back? Probably for the dessert.....however if the waiters were on the menu, we'd be back there like a shot!
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Erin Gordon
8 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 6
Friday, April 03, 2009

I have eaten in this restaurant twice, the first time as passing trade and the second was when my wife mistakenly booked it through an offer. Both visits have resulted in having to return the food to the kitchen.

Whilst the atmosphere and the wait staff are very professional the food is simply terrible. I love my pasta, and given the limited set dinner menu I plumbed for the Fusilli. I can only describe the food which arrived at my table as a comedy effort. It was bright pink, whilst not to be off put by the colour I tasted it. Bland and over cooked. When asked by the waitress about the food I did state that it was of a very low standard. My meal was swapped for a Salmon Dish. The fish was well cooked but the vegetables were virtually raw.

During our meal the table next to us also orders the pink pasta. Within minutes they had also sent there food back to the kitchen somewhat confirming that this restaurant simply cannot cook pasta.

Whilst the dinner offer of £14.50 for a 2 course meal was on the surface value for money I believe this to be one of the worst kitchens in London. Simply put who in their right mind would serve bright pink pasta with no seasoning or flavour.
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Matthew Brown
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Thursday, March 19, 2009

My friend and I decided to eat at Cantina following excellent reviews from colleagues and friends but last night, had probably one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had.

Firstly, we had the brushetta with ham to share. The bread although toasted was cold and chewy, the cheese was reminiscent of philidelphia, and tasted like it was straight out of the fridge and the rocket was limp. It tasted like it had been prepared at 3pm that day and left wilting in the fridge until ready to serve.

Our entree of pumpkin tortellini was extremely tasty, unfortunately the pasta was so hard and chewy I sent it back. I was somewhat dismayed when the exact same plate of pasta returned 3 mins later - complete with my bite taken out of it. And it was warmer yes, but not any better cooked. A third try, saw slightly less tough pasta, but still not al dente. I'd also hasten to add that the table next to us suffered the same problem and also sent their pasta back.

Main course of lamb and seabass. The lamb was tender, and the flavours in the tomato based sauce reminiscent of one of those hugely sugared sauces you can buy in supermarkets, or similar fare to your local pub. The mushrooms, whilst clearly not your average white mushroom, were dumped on the plate in such vast quantities looking very similar to the mushrooms served in a greasy spoon with your fry up, no flavour or colour to them. The meal with a massive serving of tasteless and runny polenta was not very appetising. None of the flavours worked together. The portion size of each ingredient was way too big.

As for the sea bass..... I don't think I've seen a smaller or thinner piece of fish before! The 'salad' was a cornucopia of contrasting flavours, with what tasted like bitter artichokes from a jar wildly jarring with what I think may have been cabbage?

All in all an utterly horrible meal. Saving grace was our desserts.

I don't feel that this meal was deserving of a £120 bill. Which I might add was lessened after the waiting staff had charged me for two starters.
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Erin Gordon
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Saturday, February 28, 2009