If the first bite is with the eye, then Tower Bridge makes for a damn fine amuse-bouche.
It’s the backdrop you’ll be staring at while you dine on the long terrace of Le Pont De Le Tour (that’s ‘Tower Bridge’ in French, but of course you knew that). And it should be noted that this is a D&D restaurant, which means that they’re certainly not happy to let a bridge – no matter how iconic and beautiful – do all the aesthetic legwork.
Inside, the space goes all-out in trying to exude glamour. D&D may have close to three dozen (!) restaurant in London alone, including the Michelin Starred Angler… but their practice of making each one both unique and luxuriant makes for a pretty successful formula. Here, it’s the order of the day is crisp white linens and smartly dressed waiting staff, all designed to evoke the mood of a tres, tres chic 1930s Parisian date spot. Of course, none of them had a terrace right next to Tower Bridge, so one-nil us.
The food follows the same route too, with a lot of extremely classic French fare. Exhibit A: wild garlic velouté with pine nuts and pickled mushrooms. And for the main courses, you can expect the likes of Exhibits B, C, and D: a dry-aged ribeye steak frites with béarnaise, a Dover Sole meunière with caper brown butter, or an entire flame-grilled turbot for two, with some creamy hollandaise. It’s not exactly cheap (that turbot comes in at £90) but it’s not insane either.
As anyone who’s ever been to a Parisian date spot can attest, 1930s or not, there’s always a cocktail bar. And P de la T is no exception. Theirs is made from slabs of dark marble, and the barkeeps come fully armed with a long list of both classics and originals. Their negroni has a little smoky mezcal thrown in, and their Shad Thames Cobbler (Shad Thames is a cobbled street!) blends gin, peach liqueur, and a little rosé.
Which should bridge the gap until the starters arrive.
NOTE: You can book your table for both the terrace and the main restaurant right HERE.
Le Pont De La Tour | 36D Shad Thames, SE1 2YE
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