Italy and the Thames

Once again I have fallen off the blogging band wagon, but I have been storing up some serious treats. Even though this is slightly outdated, Cantina del Ponte is amazing whenever you decide to go.

Situated just behind Tower Bridge the views are just as good as the food, despite how quiet the restaurant was when we arrived there was still an atmosphere, where staff were all friendly and attentive.

If you do go to Cantina for a special occasion ensure that you let them know before hand and you'll get your hands on some freebies! We had two glasses of Processco and the birthday boy had his huge Tiramisu for free too - after all the waiters came and sang "Happy Birthday"! Which was a nice surprise for him.

But most importantly THE FOOD! Cantina has never let me down on this front and this time was no different, to start I had Formaggio di capra, caponata e confettura al perperonchino (or goat cheese in filo pastry, caponata and chili jam). Light and bursting with flavour it was the perfect dish to kick of my meal.

Formaggio di capra, caponata e
confettura al perperonchino 

I often opt for the veggie option for starters as sometimes I find an all meat meal a bit too rich and then I have no room for dessert which of course is practically blasphemy!

Similarly the other starter was all a veggie option Bruschetta Alla Cantina (selection of bruschetta: tomato, olive paste) which was not only delicious but absolutely huge so if you're not too hungry I would defiantly recommend sharing.

Sometimes I find that if a restaurant is quiet then the break between courses is either too long (because they've forgotten about you) or too quick because there's no one else to serve. But the timings at Catina were pretty perfect, I never left rushed once.

Gnocchtti sardi con pesto e gamberi 

For mains of course I had pasta, I always find it bizarre when someone orders anything other than pasta at an Italian restaurant when you know it's going to be so good! Gnocchtti sardi con pesto e gamberi was the dish the finally decided on (gnocchetti sardi with basil pesto and tiger prawns) which sounds simple and like there wouldn't be much going on, on the plate but there certainly was! The pesto was homemade and nutty, the cherry tomatoes made for a juicy companion. I'm a big fan of tiger prawns so even if the plate had been full of them I still would have wanted more, nevertheless the prawns were full of flavour and juicy.

The Pappardelle al ragu' di coniglio (pappardelle, white rabbit ragu) was equally as good, it was nice to have a different type of pasta as the pappardelle is a fat, flat pasta almost like gaint spaghetti, with the tender and rice rabbit ragu it was the perfect combination.

 Pappardelle al ragu' di coniglio 

Dessert is my favourite part of the meal! But often I am left with sorbet or ice cream as sometimes many dessert menus are nut filled, which can be a bit of a bummer. But on this occasion I was fancying something fruity and light. So I opted for a classic favourite of mine - pannacotta con salsa ai fruitti di bosco - pannacotta with mixed berries- which after all the amazing food I had already eaten was a good choice as I didn't want to be too full and ruin the whole experience. The pannacotta was light and creamy and the berries tart.

pannacotta con salsa ai fruitti di bosco

As it was his birthday the second dessert was a favourite of his Tiramisu which was a huge portion, not only did the staff sing but the dessert was decorated with writing and a candle too which was a nice surprise! The Tiramisu went down a treat even if there was a slight struggle at the end due to the portion size!

Tiramisu 

Cantina del ponte is the perfect place to go whether it is for a special occasion or not the staff are always welcoming and the food is always excellent. If the sun is shining I would recommend sitting outside as the view is amazing and watching the boats drift up and down the Thames is always a nice pass time. To get an outside table during the summer it is always a good idea to book similarly for the weekend as it can get pretty busy.