Tentazioni Restaurant

Looking at the menu and seeing portions, we opted out and went down onto the Shad Thames

Tentazioni were recently offering a deal on their seven course tasting menu which was just too good to resist.
Our first course was a creamy broad bean soup with pearl barley, red onion and sun-​dried tomato which I wasn’t expecting to like but it was incredible. Creamy and smooth it just slipped down my throat and I couldn’t help but finish the bowl even though I knew there were still six more courses to come.
The next course was my favourite of them all and genuinely the best pasta I have ever had in my life; ribbon pasta with Amberjack fish, pink shallot, green tomato and mullet roe sauce. The pasta was obviously handmade on site but it was the sauce that really made it although difficult to describe the taste of. I really want to visit Italy and if pasta tastes this good over there I’m not sure I’d ever return to the UK!
The third course was a pan-​fried red mullet fillet in extra virgin olive oil, pink garlic and sweet chilli served with white cabbage, black olives timbale and crispy sage. This was a fairly bland course and not particularly memorable to be honest. Perhaps it was the deliciousness of the pasta that had come before it!
We then had a palate cleanser of lemon and liquorice sorbet which I was expecting to hate as I really don’t like liquorice but was actually quite pleasant even if I wouldn’t call it nice.
Our final savoury dish was glazed duck breast with white aged Balsamic vinegar served with crispy trevisana radicchio and spring cherry cooked in red wine. This was my least favourite of them all and I think was my first time having duck breast. I’m a huge fan of crispy duck with pancakes like you get at the Chinese but I found the meat to be too fatty and slightly undercooked for my tastes. It was nice to try something that I wouldn’t normally have ordered though.
Then it was time for pre-​dessert — something that had intrigued me since I first saw it on the menu and then again while we were eating as we saw it being served while still aflame to other diners in the restaurant. I still don’t know exactly what it was but it tasted like a super creamy crème brûlée and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sugar had crystallised from the heat of the flames and created a wonderful crunchy topping to compliment the cream. It was truly delicious.
Pudding was a traditional Neapolitan Cheesecake served with vanilla ice-​cream which was very different than any cheesecake I’ve ever had. There was no crunchy biscuit base and the cheese had a strangely lumpy texture. It was very nice but I was running out of room and had to admit defeat. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much good food in one sitting in my life but I wouldn’t hesitate to return and partake again (the tasting menu changes on a monthly basis) especially in some of that amazing pasta!

We might have just been here on a bad night, but the meal was completely let down by the extremely slow service. This is a shame, because the food was on the whole good. We had a Groupon deal for a tasting menu — I’m not sure if the fact we had a voucher had an impact on the service level we received, but if so it’s a bit counterproductive as I would not return to this restaurant again.
After we arrived it look over an hour for our first course to arrive, and we still hadn’t got our drinks at this point (we had to ask several times). The first course, a brocolli soup, was pleasant enough but very bland. I’m not sure if it actually had any seasoning. The food did improve after this course, with some exceptional dishes (I loved the black squid ink gnocci and the duck was beautifuuly cooked). There was also a lovely little creamy pre-​dessert which had been set on fire and was both tasty and very pretty. Unfortunately, the long waits continued between every course, with no explanation or apology, and it was close to midnight by the time we left! By this time, I was tired and fed up and just wanted to get home.

I visited here quite some time ago for a friends birthday so unfortunately I cannot remember what I ate except that it was delicious! my friend had the seven course taster menu and the staff worked really hard to ensure that food was delivered at roughly the same time so those of us not sampling the full menu were not sitting around waiting. The restaurant itself was lovely and although the Opera singers were slightly unnerving (came a little too close for my liking) the whole experience was very good. We left with full bellies and good memories!

Went here after the amazing Unilocal event and the food was just as delicious. The only thing however, the truffle pasta didn’t have enough truffle!

This boutique restaurant is like a little gem located on the south bank of Thames. I love the great surrounding space that is reminiscent of the times when this part of town was used as the docks. And although the place itself is a little bit away from the main road you’ll find it surprisingly close to the main attractions of London, like Tower Bridge.
They have very tasty ravioli (try the one with pumpkin filling!) and tagliatelle. What more would you wish for if you are Italian cuisine lover? The owner and the chef is taking particular care of the menu, so they update it quite often, every month. Moreover the staff is taking personal care of every guest, hence the «boutique» atmosphere inside.
Make sure you try one of their wine tasting events: it’s an awesome idea to taste some of the best Italian wines and dishes with an expert sommelier!

Very quiet sunday lunch. Some lost tourists and a group on a day out from the care home. Smart décor and prompt service were pluses. Food was ok. Gnocchi was a bit too soft with too much grease in the sause. King prawns were fine. Pork was good. Menu didnt really work for me. Too complicated.

I agree that the Italian food here is one step above almost anything else in London.
Potato gnocchi looked so simple, but such great flavours. Out of the mains, the pork belly one and the seafood black venus rice were amazing. The black cod not so much — the broth was too thin.
However, while the food was great, the prices were pretty high as well, especially given its location quite in the middle of nowhere. Service was good and professional, but for the same price you could get equally good Italian food at L’Anima — easy to get to, much more stunning interior décor, and equally good service. Plus a wider menu to choose from.

The restaurant is tucked away but the food is very good. Very intimate setting and a great selection of wines. The service was very good as well.

One of my favorite places. I’ve been here few times already and I can say that this restaurant is perfect to hang out with friends or just spend some quality time with the loved ones. The atmosphere is nice as well as the decoration inside and outside. There’s a wide variety of drinks and food offered and the prices are average.

Best Italian restaurant I’ve been to in London! i was there a week ago with a friend and was absolutely blown away by the food and the outstanding service we received (despite a few initial hiccups).
As soon as we arrived we were led to the upstairs dining area. When we sat at the table we realised the tablecloth was covered in tiny flies, which was not great I must admit. We obviously flagged this to the waitress who was very quick at coming over and wiping them off (squashing a few of them in the process, ahah!). At that point we were quite unimpressed wouldn’t have been easier to ask us to move to a different table???- however, in not even a minute we were presented with a complimentary glass of prosecco and a couple of arancini, sent to our table to apologise for the fly disaster. I found this very nice and unexpected!
I ordered fresh egg tagliolini with astice and caviar to die for! and my friend ordered a fiorentina steak. Unfortunately the steak was a bit chewy so my friend, who’s a real foodie with very high standards when it comes to food, left half of it on her plate. When the manager realised this he was very apologetic and asked my friend if she would like to order another main. She choose fresh egg tagliatelle with white truffle. This was definitely a great choice, as the dish was superb. I don’t like truffle, but I could have easily eaten a whole plate of that pasta!
To finish we shared a very nice chocolate and raspberry gooey dessert, which was very decadent and rich.
When the time to pay came the manager categorically refused to make us pay for my friend’s mains, both the steak AND the truffle tagliatelle. We tried to protest, as it seemed just fair that we paid for tagliatelle at least. However, he wouldn’t change his mind.
To conclude, I was really impressed with the service. Mistakes can happen, but it’s the way staff deal with them that makes the difference. Food was great too!

Been there a few times good for business lunches and quiet dinners. If it’s the latter you’re after ask for a table upstairs. Excellent quality food and decent prices, plus a very good wine selection

I Love this restaurant, beautifully cooked food, good prices and friendly staff, if only all restaurant’s could be to this standard. I took my girlfriend here about 3 weeks ago and we are still talking about it. Buon Appetito, you won’t regret it

Work Christmas Dinner. I’ll spare you the generic-​corporate-​office-​party details, but in short, my boss said «weak sauce,» many glasses of wine were awkwardly spilled, and all the british bosses unabashedly wore the paper crowns from their christmas crackers whilst continuing to talk about current macreconomic conditions and it was amazing. regarding the food, i have to say that there was something still britishy about this supposedly italian place. the canapes were all breaded and deep fried somehow– breaded and deepfried cheese, breaded and deepfried olives stuffed with sausage paste. my main course was even some kind of deep fried fish with a side of deep fried polenta. my cheese course had stilton fried onto bread. look, it tasted good, but i’m just trying to make a public service announcement here that i’m pretty confident that real italian food doesn’t have that much deep friedness, and this must be some kind of exclusively british italian phenomenon.

Italian food to a standard not seen in London that often. Excellent quality and such unusual combinations that your taste buds will know they’ve been ‘tampered with’ … in a nice way of course.
Tucked away a little I always wonder why we don’t get across to this venue more regularly as the whole experience is superb.
White linen table cloths, beautiful glassware sets the scene. The décor is bold and interesting (tiny little downlights scattered about the ceiling — no straight lines here). Service is excellent and the staff don’t just deliver your food they know all about what’s in it and how it’s been prepared.
Good wine list and the chef makes an appearance later in the evening sometimes — if not, pop your head in the kitchen to say thanks. He (and his staff) deserve it.
For a memorable evening try Tentazioni.

Tentazioni is located in a secluded part of Tower Bridge and friends of mine who have been dining there since 1997 have never had a bad meal even once. When visiting them I thought I would try it and was pleasantly surprised at the décor in the main dining area which is subdued and subtle.
The food served here can only be described as being bold and robust. I had the risotto with foie gras accompanied by a confit of leg of duck served with a drizzle of rich port sauce. My friend had a dish of roast fillets of pork, black ravioli, scampi and a sauce of peas. Every dish served was perfect the only complaint being that the portions were huge. The starters could have served as main as well. By the end of the meal none of us had room for shared dessert of Ambrosial Panna Cotta with wild berries and berry sorbet. If you like skip the starter and have the dessert. The wine list was a pleasure and chosen imaginatively and posed no problem at 25.00 pounds a bottle. Advice from the waiting staff was plentiful and undiluted too.