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 fresh summer vegetable mixed salad, and short pasta with tomato sauce that maintains an Italian pace which is splendidly unrelenting.

These are all preceded by Cantina's wonderful selection of antipasti, including a selection of cured meats and vegetables, focaccia bread with Italian cheese; caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella, vine tomato and fresh basil. Beef, bread and cheese make a mouth watering explosion of flavours, but for sheer bliss go for the lightly smoked swordfish carpaccio with yogurt, orange and lemon.

Mains can include spaghetti with fresh seafood, prawns, baby octopus, chilli and tomato; fried fresh squid with mayonnaise, and guinea fowl with sweet and sour vegetables, or grilled spicy baby chicken with pan fried broccoli and fresh chilli.

Finally, do save room for their desserts which are typically tempting in the way that only Italian puddings can be, with tiramisu of sweetened mascarpone, marsala and coffee soaked sponge; almond semifreddo and caramel sauce, dark chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

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 grape jelly.

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 chickpea soup with cheese cream and rosemary, followed by mussel stew, garlic, olive oil and parsley, rounding off with pannacotta with fresh berries.

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.