LONDON
STICKY MANGO :
PAN-ASIAN MASTERY ON LONDON ’ S ICONIC SHAD THAMES
BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
There ’ s something magical about Shad Thames , the historic riverside street located in a chic but very animated part of London that formal geography would determine as north Bermondsey , but that today denotes the entire surrounding area running south along the River Thames from Tower Bridge that stands majestic at its west end . The area ’ s regeneration began back in the 80s under the stylish direction of late lifestyle designer and restaurateur , Terence Conran , who bought 13 acres on the banks of the river , transforming Butler ’ s Wharf and paving the way for the ‘ gastrodome ’ that Shad Thames represents collectively today .
A cobbled walkway of listed buildings comprising former flour mills , granaries and warehouses , many distinctive by their carefully preserved toothed cornicing and bands of blue brick that link small cast-iron windows , there is more than a touch of architectural whimsy about the location , not least under the twinkling eye of Tower Bridge that ’ s bathed in gold and blue by night .
One could be forgiven for thinking that restaurants here don ’ t need to make much effort when the locale itself is such a magnificent draw . But , certainly with regard to Sticky Mango , one would be wrong .
Occupying the former premises of Cantina del Ponte , a Conran restaurant that closed after 31 years of service in June 2023 , from the outset Sticky Mango Tower Bridge – younger sibling of Sticky Mango on Waterloo ’ s South Bank – had sizable shoes to fill .
These shoes , however , are clearly no match for chef-patron Peter Lloyd . An incredibly creative and talented chef whose 25-year career has seen him work alongside an encyclopaedia of greats including Pierre Koffmann , Gordon Ramsay , Marco Pierre White and the late Charlie Trotte , from luxury weddings in India and superyachts in the Mediterranean to indulgent dinners at the Royal Palace of Qatar and hawker stalls across Asia , Peter Lloyd has done it all and this bounty of broad experience shows in every element of an evening at Sticky Mango .
What ’ s evident from the moment you enter the restaurant is that Lloyd ’ s vision was never to slip quietly into his new Tower Bridge address and simply rest on the laurels of his predecessor – and to be honest , I breathed a sigh of relief . As iconic as Conran was , Cantina del Ponte was at best a pretty uninspiring , generic trattoria , and now the site is not only unrecognisable but resplendent .
Flanked by two bright pink blossom trees with petals that rise up and cascade across the ceiling , the interior is a masterpiece of black , teal , purple and gold framed by elegant kentia palms , raindrop chandeliers sparkling gently , a bespoke resin floor that winds its way around the room like lava , and truly beautiful wallpaper decorated with weeping willows , lotus flowers and Southeast Asian purple sunbirds .
It ’ s clear every detail about the restaurant ’ s look has been painstakingly considered , but absolutely not in a conceited fashion – it ’ s not ‘ themed ’, it ’ s authentic . Working in absolute harmony with Sticky Mango ’ s sophisticated but cool personality , the staff are attentive but not intrusive and the music is pitch-perfect ; we walked in to Hi- Tek featuring Jonell ’ s Round & Round and this soulful hip-hop soundtrack continued to set the laid-back scene for the duration of the evening . Quite literally music to the ears for this 90 ’ s garage girl …
So enamoured were we by the brilliant cocktail list – complementing the phenomenal food here , each cocktail has notes of Asian flavour from the addition of fragrant ingredients such as nori , umehsu plum sake , ginger and Thai basil – and so unhurried were we by the lovely staff
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