Cento Alla Torre — Restaurant in London

Being a short walk from Tower Bridge with a reasonably priced menu (for this location), the four of us managed to get in without a reservation on a busy Saturday evening.

The service was a bonus; the staff were impeccably dressed, polite, and professional. It's not often you see waiters brushing down the table between courses at this level but that was the case here.

We had a decent bottle of white that was a little overpriced (bottles start around the £35 mark and veer quickly upwards) between the four of us. We shared three starters of mortadella and pistachio ricotta bruschetta, fried polenta with a nice tomato sauce, and calamari. The calamari was perfectly cooked with a satisfying fried coating, the polenta was nice, as was the bruschetta, though this was slightly overpriced I thought considering it's around £11 for essentially two pieces of bread with some ricotta, chopped pistachios and a slice of sausage (I had hopped for sautéed/grilled meat).

Mains were generally good, a little bit of a mixed bag; the 'agnolotti tartufo' was the size of a starter, had no discernible truffle flavour and was a little bland; it needed a heap of parmesan to help it. Better was the pizza con fungi, which actually had a nice flavour and had a lot more going on. The risotto of prawn and lobster was very nice, as well it should be at £22.

We shared two tiramisus between us, and I'm happy to say the portions were good and the coffee flavour was there. I've had tiramisus that were far too creamy before or were served in tiny portions, but that wasn't the case here. A very satisfying end to the meal.

The bill came to about £43 per head, with drinks, shared starters and desserts, a main each, and service. In a place surrounded by tourist traps, Cento Alla Torre is one of the better options, and the service was surprisingly good.

I wouldn't rush back but I wouldn't be against revisiting. 3.5/5 but I'll round up for...

A bit pretentious for my taste - but it was the restaurant attached to a fancy hotel in the heart of London - so we got what I thought we would get. Nonetheless, we had a great experience...

At my wife suggestion we ate at this Italian restaurant in the heart of London (at least to me it was the heart of London). I could tell from the outside we were sorely undressed for this place, but not a single care was given. They greeted us warmly and promptly took us to a table. That's where the fun experience began. The "team" that took care of us were Akshatha and Craig, there were so personable, patience, and kept an eye on our needs throughout or dinner - they were so pleasant to have waited on us - couldn't have asked for better service, honestly.

Ambiance was quiet, reserved, yet still had a pep to it as all the servers were on-top of their game taking care of patrons - you could tell this was a well-coached team. Food-wise, as far as what we chose - you couldn't ask for better meals. From the salmon I picked, to the spaghetti my son had, and to my wife's meatball's and potatoes - it was incredibly delicious. The only nit to all of this was the serving size - I was hoping for something a little bit more, but at least we did not walk away hungry.

It did leave room for dessert which we took advantage of as I had their custard - thick, creamy as you would expect (and three different flavors as well), along with my wife's tort of sorts, and my son's Tiramisu which was the most unique I had ever laid my eyes upon.

All of this at a hefty price - so be warned, and with a hefty gratuity added on - be warned of that as well. Otherwise, if you're looking for a fancy-meal experience - this is a...

We went there today for lunch as were starving and it was the first thing we saw. At first, everybody was very polite and well presented. It seems to be part of a hotel. Toilets were very far away, located out of the restaurant, past reception down a set of stairs. Different people served us every time which we didn't like as there seemed to be a lack of communication. Waited a while for our order to be taken. We were offered water and got given a bottle rather than being asked tap or bottle. I asked a question and the girl had to ask the kitchen so clearly didn't know the menu. It was pricey, and honestly, the food was disappointing. Only plus was it arrived quickly. The girl who brought the first meals only asked who had the first one and then just put the second in front of the person next to them, and we had to tell her that it was for me. She was a bit moody. Carbonara had huge chunks of panchetta and was very dry. Margherita pizza didn't have fresh basil, and the cheese was not a good quality. It went cold and chewy very quickly. Lasagne was probably the better choice out of everything. Garlic bread was a bit dry and had too much crushed garlic and rosemary. Portions are also not very big. Didn't even try desserts as we were put off by not enjoying the food. We asked for the bill and when the girl came over to bring it, she had the card reader with her and just stood next to the table without saying anything and I had to ask her to give us a few minutes. Also, there is a service charge already included in the total price. Didn't ask if it is optional as couldn't be bothered to even argue if needed. Will...