Delfina is a restaurant I discovered while on route to Zucca and Jose, all three of which are on Bermondsey Street near London Bridge. It has an inviting contemporary look to it – lots of white space – and its high ceilings can be attributed to the fact that it is housed in what was once a converted chocolate factory. The building is now used for exhibitions and the like, and the restaurant opens for lunch from Monday to Friday, and for dinner on a Friday night.

On the Friday evening of our visit we tried seared scallops (£7.50) which disappointed. The scallop had started to go bad with an unpleasant taste to them. Furthermore, they weren’t really scallops (plural), but one scallop cut into two. The accompanying saffron cauliflower was also a touch underdone.

Scallops

A second starter of baked St Marcellin (£5.95) with spiced cranberry chutney, roast garlic and seeded crostini was pleasant with cheesy goodness.

Cheese

Pan roasted duck breast (£14.95) was nicely cooked and pink. But it was a touch chewy and it lacked for a robust flavour. It was accompanied by a yummy mash, savoy cabbage and blackcurrant jus.

Duck

Braised lamb shank (£14.50) was tender and tasty. Also enjoyable was the pumpkin and sage mash and the ale sauce that came with the lamb.

Lamb shank

Of the desserts we tried, the poached Williams pear (£5.50) with warmed mulled wine syrup was the best of the lot. The pear had been poached to the right level of doneness and was neither too firm nor too soft. The syrup was well balanced in its sweetness.

Pear

White chocolate espresso mousse (£5.50) was as pretty as a picture and came with dark chocolate, salted caramel and a sesame tuile. The mousse was very light but almost too creamy.

Coffee mousse

A fig and blackberry tart (£5.50) was topped with a pistachio crumble which was a little sickly. The pastry wasn’t quite right either and tasted bland.

Tart

This wasn’t the most inspirational of meals. Delfina wasn’t pricey, so is fine for a lunch I guess. But Friday dinner? Probably not, especially seeing what else there is to offer on Bermondsey Street.

Summary information

Food rating: 3/5
Service rating: 3/5

Price range: £20 – £30 for three courses. Excludes drinks and service.

Website: http://www.thedelfina.co.uk/restaurant