Le Pont De La Tour (Butlers Wharf, 36d Shad Thames, London, SE1 2YE) Dined in the restaurant with my colleagues (12 of us – put on two separate tables) on a lovely summer's evening – which meant it was very warm inside. The service was extremely slow – we waited a long time before any waiter approached us to take a drink or food order, and mostly thereafter we had to flag down waiters to ask for anything such as salt and pepper, or for a refil of our wine glasses. The starters were generally fine, and the colleagues who ordered the seafood platters as mains were pleased with them. However, 3 of our group had other fish dishes (mullet or dover sole) and were unhappy with the quality and freshness of the fish – to the extent that none of them ate their meals (one got halfway through!). Other comments on the steak and lamb dishes were “fine”, not “good”. Even the sides were somewhat disappointing – the “seasonal greens” consisting of a small plate of cabbage. After waiting for too long again to place our dessert orders we gave up and got our bill – which they had reduced by the cost of the two mullet dishes following our complaints. An expensive and disappointing dining experience, the final straw of which was the bad body odour of one of our waiters which was overwhelming in the hot restaurant.
Link to this reviewJune 2010 |