No Surprises, Good or Bad.

Where: Ponti's, Unit 14, Liverpool Street Station, EC2M 7QH
Tube: Liverpool Street

Had: Penne Arrabiata, Garlic Focaccia, Diet Pepsi
Paid: £8.15

When feeling particularly unadventurous a chain is the best choice. In Liverpool Street station the choice is tough: there are what feels like 250 different chain shops- from ATM to Upper Crust - try to lure the hungry traveller into their outlets.

One of them, Ponti's, can be found no fewer than (correct me if I'm wrong) three times in and around the area. It's by far largest restaurant is on the upper level of the station, overlooking either trains pulling in and out of the busy Central London terminal or vast numbers of travelling folk.

That specific Ponti's is HUGE and probably offers room for about 200 diners; still it can be quite hard to get a seat there at lunch time particularly when the back area has been hired out for private functions. Having got there around 2pm, I arrive just in time for the army of office workers to head back to their computers.

It still is quite busy, but at least I get to have a table for myself. Leaving my coat behind to mark my territory I stroll over to the counter to have a look at their delicacies. Had this been my first time in Ponti's, I wouldn't have realised until now that, wow, they are serving Italian...ish food- the usual suspects: pasta, lasagna and more pasta. The vast majority of their  food, however, is somewhere between International and British.

I opt for one of my favourites: Penne Arrabiata accompanied by two slices of garlic bread. The sauce, as usual, is fabulous: tomato-ey, fruity and full of different flavours. Unlike many other Arrabiatas this one has an amazing heat without covering all the other flavours. The pasta is slightly undercooked and the garlic bread needs a lot more oomph (i.e. flavour) - it's lovely with a pinch of salt and some olive oil.

Great about Ponti's is that they offer a number of extras you can add to your meal for free, less great is that the only cheese they offer in that range is Grana Padano, which is not suitable for vegetarians.

Verdict: Tasty quality food- a safe option offering Rainforest Alliance certified coffes.