Meat Uneasy

I've suffered a grave blow at the hands of a meat patty and I'm finding it hard to recover.

Having spent most of the year banging on about the genius of Yianni and Co's Meateasy/Meatwagon burgers to anyone who would listen, last night I found myself chewing a mouthful of disappointment. And it tasted just like Mcdonalds.

These are harsh words, I know, and it pains me to type them (me being the biggest fan of the pink, charred, juice running down your chin experience that was the original Meatwagon burger). When they popped up in New Cross earlier this year, I was there once a week. I loved the food (which was consistently brilliant) but I equally loved that the burgers came with a side of effortless cool (I tried to make that sound as ungeeky as possible but saying cool is not cool). The space was genuis, the cocktails that came in old jars magic, and the vibe, well it made you want to get pissed and dance like you just didn't care.

So, having made the pilgrimage to The Rye in Peckham (one of the current venues for the MW crew) to re-aquaint myself with my favourite food experience of 2011, I'm sure you can imagine my expectations were pretty high.

And they were shot down.

This was supposed to be a quick, non-rant post so I wont go on. I will just say this. The patties were smaller, with no sign of pink in the middle, the iceberg lettuce soggy and the plastic cheese (which seemed cheerfully kitsch at Meateasy) less ironic when it's the only thing you can taste.

I sincerely hope that when I return (I don't give up that easy, particularly if there's meat involved) last night's hiccup was a mere fluke of the grill. Otherwise Peckham is going to see a few tears.

Was There Any Ponte?

From time to time, particularly when you have little or no contacts of your own, it is only fair to piggyback on the opportunities of others. Which is why, when my food writer friend Neil (or The Lambshank Redemption to many) invited me to be his plus one, I brought my camera.

Cantina del Ponte has the same happy location on Shad Thames as my previous entry, The Blueprint Cafe, meaning lovely views of Tower Bridge. We sat outside which is always agreeable and, despite the fact it rained (where are you summer?), it was nice to take advantage of the location from beneath the awning. If I had been allowed to smoke it would have been quite perfect.

Nicotine addiction aside, we enjoyed a good meal. As Neil quite rightly said, "You wouldn't go to Tokyo looking for the perfect Pork Pie." i.e one shouldn't expect perfect Italian food in London, particularly if, like me, you have recently returned from said country.

We kicked the meal off with some bread and olive oil. I love bread and I love olive oil.

Bocconcino Di Capra Con Confettura Al Peperoncino

Otherwise known as warm goats cheese which was runny and delicious, chilli jam which was sweet and spicy and homemade foaccia (I love bread). I'm letting the fact that it was served on a black plate slide and calling it old-school.

Spaghetti Allo Scoglio

I had this dish practically every night in Italy and it was, as I feared, a poor cousin. Not terrible exactly, just not great.

Crostatina Di Ciliegie Con Gelato Alla Vaniglia

Mmmm warm cherry pie. I'm not entirely sure the pastry was perfect, but the cherries were sweet, the ice cream creamy and I'd had half a bottle of house white and a glass of prosecco by this point, so it was definitely marvellous. Again enjoyed the old-school dusting of icing sugar.

Cantina del Ponte does not serve perfect Italian food *falls over in shock* but the service is good, prices keen and it does have great location. It wouldn't be my first choice in Shad Thames, or my second, but you could do a lot worse along that riverside stretch (All Bar One, I'm looking at you).

Cantina Del Ponte

36C Shad Thames

SE1 2YE

Blueprint Cafe

The afternoon before dining at the Blueprint Cafe, I happened upon an interesting conversation with a friend whose boyfriend is a chef. Apparently he HATES people who come into his restaurant and order the set menu. This irritated me.

Sometimes *steps up on to her soap box* people want to eat in fancy restaurants and sometimes those people can’t afford to pay £30 for a main course. So what *raises her voice an octave* is wrong with getting part of the experience. Surely better than no experience at all.

I realise that I fall into the above category, so my opinion is a little one sided, but I do loathe the shame that taints the set menu, which is why the experience that followed it was so sweet.

The Blueprint Cafe is housed on the second floor of the Design Museum, just past Tower Bridge, on the river, rewarding diners with some rather lovely views. The interior is cute; round tables, big windows, the odd stripe (my friend said that it felt a bit 90s in a good way).

The food was good. Not get up and do a little dance good, but definitely do a little smile at the first mouthful good. The website tells me that Scottish chef, Jeremy, has been there for 16 years and is much praised for his 'seasonal, uncomplicated cooking' (which is exactly how I would have described it had they not got there first).

Lettuce and Loveage Soup

I would never usually order soup in a restaurant, particularly one containing only vegetables but this was brilliant. Vibrant green, it couldn't have looked more pleasing and it tasted like a summer garden. It did need a generous shake of salt but this was forgiven once I realised it came with fresh sourdough and a slab of creamy butter. Mmmmm.

Leg of Lamb with a Mustard Crust

I was surprised when this turned up in a mini casserole dish. Not that I minded, but I had expected something more akin to a steak than a stew. The slow cooked lamb was studded with sweet peas and topped with a tangy mustard crust. We splashed out and ordered a side of vegetables (£4) and were delighted with the huge bowl of minted courgettes and runner beans, and an equally large bowl of crispy new potatoes.

Raspberry Shortcake

I didn't actually get to taste this but it looked pretty which is always a good start. Mouth full, my dining companion informed me 'the raspberries are nice and tart, the shortcake light and buttery and the cream not too sweet'.

This was a good meal, and perhaps it would have been a great meal had I ordered from the main menu but so what. The staff are clearly well schooled because I was never made to feel like a tramp, I got to enjoy a gorgeous sunset in one of my favourite parts of the Thames, and I got to eat a meal in a restaurant I might think twice about visiting if I had to pay full price. So, until I can afford to stop being a cheapskate, I've found a place where it just don't seem so bad...

Set Menu: £15 for two courses, £22 for three courses

Butlers Wharf
28 Shad Thames

SE1 2YD
020 7378 7031