Le Pont De La Tour - London Bridge, London

Le Pont De La Tour has been one of London's destination eateries for over two decades and the reasons for its longevity are easily apparent. Situated alongside the Thames on the southern side of the Tower Bridge, it birthed the regeneration of Butler's Wharf as a nexus for bars and restaurants in the 1990s, a movement that echoes today with the burgeoning Bermondsey foodie scene, Maltby Street Market and the Michelin-starred Story. What gives it such staying power? As well as one of the most cinematic views in the Big Smoke, its varied array of offerings, its unflinching quality and its persistent innovation have set Le Pont De La Tour aside as a restaurant that has stood the test of time in one of the world's most challenging markets.

Originally billed as a 'gastrodome', Le Pont De La Tour is much more than a restaurant. It boasts a wine merchant, a food store, a coffee kiosk, a bar and grill, as well as the dining room that has won it so many plaudits. The terrace area is indubitably the place to eat. Enclosed from the elements with a glass barricade, it's heated during the winter and staff will bring you blankets to fend off the chill. The dining room has been recalibrated to resemble the famous cruise liner SS Normandie. There's a nautical motif carried throughout the design, with a striking gold patterned ceiling and Erté wallpaper, and darker colours of red, green and grey. Outside, the terrace has been split into a lounge bar terrace as well as an outdoor dining space. There's also now a beautiful new wine room and private dining room that you won't want to miss.

In 2018, chef Julien Imbert took the reins in the kitchen. After rattling the pans in lead positions at both Dinner by Heston and Berners Tavern, he helped to earn Jason Atherton's restaurant City Social a Michelin star within four months of opening. We were similarly won over by his mesmerising gastronomical talent throughout the course of the evening, which started out with vividly orange slivers of cured salmon, served with miso mayonnaise, pickled cucumber and a lemon gel that nodded as much to Denmark as it did to Japan.

The staff steered us toward the beef daube as a main dish. A ruby red fillet was served with crisp, creamy fondante potato, confit shallot and braised ox cheek. It had a beautiful bovine succulence and an abundance of flavour. A tranche of Gigha halibut was equally satisfying, served alongside mussels in a curry velouté and a gruyere crust crumbled over the top. We wrapped up the meal with a pair of excellent desserts. Chocolate délice with milk chocolate ganache, caramel cremeux and passion fruit ice cream was a complex confluence of colour and taste - ultimately very refreshing. A tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream was everything the dish should be: comprehensively caramelised and warm through and through.

Our dinner at Le Pont de la Tour superseded our expectations. Its new chef Julien Imbert is certainly a talent. We suggest you take in the views alongside his cooking as soon as you can.

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