Restaurants

By Guy Dimond

What used to be called the Film Café (under the bridge, facing the second-hand book stalls) has been spruced up and brought into the Noughties with a new, posh-gastropub look. Service is chipper, and the place certainly looks much improved under the new management, the people behind Benugo.

However, the dishes we tried were disappointing. A crab sandwich, costing a whopping £7 (plus an 87p service charge), was made using bread not a million miles from a white supermarket loaf. The filling consisted of tough, longlife salad leaves plus a smear of crabmeat – barely more than a tablespoon.

Perhaps we would have done better with the chicken & chips in a basket (£8.50), or the cheddar ploughmans (£7.50). Apple crumble and custard costs £4.50. You might do better in the adjoining bar area, which doesn't have many seats (all the better for coping with hordes) but which does serve a couple of Doom ales from Cornwall, among other things. The Riverfront will be busy no matter what, because it has one of the most prime locations in London, and doesn't need repeat custom with a constant throughput of tourists and South Bank strollers.

Time Out London Issue 2021: May 14-20 2009