Le Pont de la Tour, London

Despite being in the upper price bracket for a Conran experience, David Woodward finds there is value to be had

Back in 1991, Le Pont de la Tour was Sir Terence Conran's silver lining. It opened to rave reviews at the precise moment he lost control of the development that the restaurant sits on. Butler's Wharf, a once derelict riverside plot south of Tower Bridge, was snapped up by Sir Terence on the cheap, with the plan to develop the area into shiny new flats, offices, restaurants and a hotel. Sir Terence's investment vehicle, Butler's Wharf Ltd enabled the restaurateur to act as developer, architect and main tenant for the ambitious £40m project. But before he was able to sell off the flats and find residents for the office space, interest rates began to hockey-stick and the bank pulled the plug.

Conran Holdings kept control of Le Pont de la Tour on a long lease and the area has blossomed around it. The brick warehouses date back to 1873, before the transport of larger containers forced ships to dock further east. And although the spaces are now filled with semi-permanent looking shops and cafés, the developers at least managed to retain some of the place's cobbled, Dickensian charm. Everybody thought Conran was mad opening a restaurant in such a neglected part of town—south of the river no less—but what is now recognised as a pretty perfect location goes some way to explaining Le Pont's enduring popularity.

The street entrance has a deli attached, where you can buy all manner of tempting meats, cheeses and bread. The restaurant itself is long and thin—the reason becoming apparent once you step through the doors and out onto the riverfront: this place is all about the terrace. Inside, it's all stiff, white tablecloths and equally stiff service. A couple of the waiters crack a smile or two, but as is the case with most places promoting a dress code, relaxation doesn't come easily. We are helped along the way with a freebie from the chef, a velvety-rich, aromatic lobster bisque, which didn't go tremendously well with the New Zealand Riesling I'd just ordered, but nonetheless deserved a space on the menu in its own right. The wine list has some interesting choices by the glass (but perhaps not enough—are there ever enough?) and hundreds of varietals by the bottle, including a smattering from Eastern Europe. The range is delicately balanced, from cheap to ridiculous.

In general though, this is an expensive place. The aforementioned Riesling comes in at nine pounds a glass, the Cornish crab starter £12.50, but in truth, although it's in the upper price bracket for a Conran experience, the prices go with the view. And while there aren't many bargains, there is value to be had. The bar and grill menu covers most tastes at a reasonable fraction of the price, the two-course Sunday roast menu is under 20 quid, and £24.50 for a hunk of roasted sea bass (from the a la carte menu) is actually no more than you'll pay for fish picked and cooked this well anywhere else in London. Conran restaurants (now rebranded as D&D London) get more than their fair share of snooty reviews: this place will make you feel glad Sir Terence hung onto that lease.