Cantina del Ponte

It is amazing that so few restaurants in London have a view of the River Thames. However, Cantina del Ponte is an exception right on the river next to Tower Bridge, so you also have one of London's great landmarks thrown in for good measure.

Cantina del Ponte is actually situated on Butler's Wharf quayside, and it has a huge canopy so that diners can enjoy sitting beside the river in warm weather.

Inside it is simple and friendly, with a terracotta floor and a wonderful mural of an Italian marketplace which runs the length of the restaurant. The open pizza oven is a constant attraction as you literally watch your food being cooked.

The food is robust and Italian, following the seasons and full of flavour and sunshine. Straightforward Italian dishes include pizzas, like their vegetariana - goat's cheese, grilled aubergine, capers and roast tomato, or Mercato - Italian sausage, red onions, radicchio and mozzarella. Pasta such as courgette and ricotta ravioli with leek and saffron sauce; pappardelle with wild boar meatballs and tomato sauce or their risottos with black truffles maintain an Italian pace which is splendidly unrelenting.

These are all preceded by Cantina's wonderful selection of antipasti, including a selection of Italian cured meats,  tiger prawns, cuttlefish, rocket and chilli; zuppa del giorno or beetroot and goat's cheese salad with spicy breadcrumbs. Mussels, clams, garlic tomato and chilli make a mouthwatering explosion of flavours, but for sheer bliss go for the 22 month aged prosciutto ham, caramelised pear and rocket.

Mains can include roast rump of lamb, confit tomato, artichoke and parmesan mash, grilled calves liver with soft polenta, fillet of sea bass, char grilled peppers and basil oil, Loch Duart Salmon, bacon, Treviso and balsamic vinegar, Tuscan sausages, red cabbage and borlotti beans, or roast suckling pig, lemon spinach and cannellini.

Finally, do save room for their desserts which are typically tempting in the way that only Italian puddings can be, with Amedei Tuscan chocolate fondant; poached pear with chocolate mousse and praline, Amaretto cheesecake, banana and toffee, cantucci biscuits and a tasting glass of vin santo dessert wine, and poached blood oranges, given additional flavour from saffron and pistaccio biscuits.

To show I am not prejudiced, since I always rattle on about British cheese, let me extol to you their selection of three Italian farmhouse cheeses, with fresh pear and pumpkin preserve.

The length of the Italian lunch hour is apocryphal, so it comes a little surprise to find that their set lunch at Cantina del Ponte, with two courses for £14.50 or 3 for £17.50 not only extends to 7pm but allows for the obscurity that lies between the end of lunch and the serving of pre-theatre supper. A typical meal might start with bresaola, rocket and figs, followed by salmon with scarola, olives and anchovy sauce, rounding off with poached figs and caramel cream.

Italian wine lists are not over-renowned for their sense of adventure but here at Cantina del Ponte, somebody has seen to it that wine well matches the interesting and very Italian food.

Further details of the wines, plus their full menu, can be found on their Website.