Le Pont de la Tour

 

Le Pont de la Tour

 

VO

The South side of the Thames offers fantastic views of London, and some of the food available in this neck of the woods isn’t bad either, as long as you can afford it. One of the al fresco restaurants that has proven to be quite popular with well-heeled celebrities, including former US president Bill Clinton, is Terrance Conran’s Le Pont de la Tour. Formerly a spice warehouse, the restaurant’s been going strong since 1991, and it’s clearly taking advantage of its riverside location.

 

IV – Manager

Le Pont de la Tour –very French. French in style. We’re not intimidating style – it’s all about seasonality, plain food, we’re not here to educate people. We’re here to serve them great food, great service, in a very nice surrounding.

 

IV
You’ve got the most striking view of London, being by Tower Bridge, and I think that’s what makes this place so special. And also we’re on the South side, which makes the terrace quite cool. If you look inside the restaurant, compared to outside, it’s like really different settings. It’s like being on the deck of a big ship. You’ve got beautiful belle pop prints on the walls, lots of mirrors, so you can always catch a glimpse of, inside, what goes on on the river. It’s quite posh and luxurious.

 

VO
And that’s exactly what celebrities like – so come on, so spill the French beans and tell us who’s eaten here.

 

IV
If I had to drop some names, I would say, from royalties right down to actors. I mean, we had the queen of Denmark, who was staying here recently, King Hussein of Greece, and also we had Orlando Bloom who was here not long ago, and the most funny one was actually Pamela Anderson, and she was a guest of one of our regulars. And of course she had to walk through the whole restaurant, and it’s quite funny, because she was in an extravagant outfit, and she stopped by some tables and gave some autographs, and everyone behaved beautifully, and she just carried on. And had a fantastic meal with us.

 

VO
And be honest with us, did she have to book?

 

IV
Even celebrities need to book – you can’t just expect a table like that. Which is quite nice, you know – that’s what makes us special.