The New Look Le Pont De La Tour Is Now Open
Le Pont de la Tour has reopened its doors with a new head chef, Frederick Forster, at the helm, and an entirely new look from Russell Sage Studios.
Le Pont de la Tour has always been known for its outstanding wine list, and the new incarnation is no exception. To celebrate its launch, for a month, a number of exceptional bottles will be sold at their 1991 prices – the year the restaurant originally opened. Oenophiles can enjoy a 1982 Château Lynch-Bages, 5ème Cru Classé for £180 and a 1983 Château Palmer, 3ème Cru Classé – on the list for half its typical price today.
Former Roux scholarship winner Frederick Forster (ex The Boundary, Le Gavroche, The Ritz London, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons) has created new menus for the restaurant and bar, drawing inspiration from classic French cuisine. Restaurant dishes include Roasted Orkney scallops with violet artichokes, Golden beetroots, pears, turnips, cobnuts and wild wood sorrel as well as Poached turbot, leeks, cauliflower and crab sauce. In the bar, the selection of hors d’oeuvres and sharing plates includes Niçoise pan-bagnat inspired burger served with Provençal vegetables and warm goat’s cheese.
The new interiors are darker, sleeker and more vivid. Inspired by the French cruise liner SS Normandie, the décor features a nautical element throughout. Erté wallpaper and an opulent gold patterned ceiling evoke roaring twenties glamour while deep red and green colourings in the restaurant and bar, respectively, are balanced by softer and more modern grey banquette seating. The revamped terrace is now split into two distinct areas: a lounge bar terrace and an outdoor dining space for the restaurant. A refreshed wine cellar and a food store with a new look complete the changes.