{"id":11891,"date":"2010-09-24T20:44:09","date_gmt":"2010-09-24T19:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/noexpert.co.uk\/?p=11891"},"modified":"2018-08-10T11:38:34","modified_gmt":"2018-08-10T10:38:34","slug":"the-mayflower-inn-versus-la-lanterna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.noexpert.co.uk\/food\/?p=11891","title":{"rendered":"The Mayflower Inn versus La Lanterna"},"content":{"rendered":"

So why a historic gastropub versus a traditional Italian Trattoria.\u00a0 The reason is Open House London or Open City<\/a> as it is now called, an event that allows for free access to some very interesting places. We had a tour of Sands Film Studios<\/a> in Rotherhithe, an amazing place that among other things provided costumes for films ranging from Little Dorrit<\/a> to Pride and Prejudice<\/a>.\u00a0 The studios are directly opposite The Mayflower Inn<\/a>, so that popular scenic pub seemed an ideal location for dinner.<\/p>\n

The Mayflower is a great pub with a floating deck area right on the river. Great for drinks that is, it used to do good food too – maybe it still does!\u00a0 However when we saw the price on the chalk board for Fish and Chips, we just could not justify it – \u00a321.00 (see picture). So we headed up river to Shad Thames, and went to La Lanterna<\/a>, which is a “real” Italian Trattoria, with genuinely friendly and hospitable Italian staff. In style this place is almost the antithesis of the modern Italian restaurants typified by Zucca<\/a> and the River Cafe<\/a>.<\/p>\n