River Cafe ★★ New American ... “The kitchen aims to please but not to shock,” William Grimes wrote in his two-star review 12 years ago, the last time the restaurant was assessed in … Despite the name and seemingly riverside location, there is no real river view even from the terrace, though if you walk a few yards after your meal then you can look over a wall that runs along this stretch of the river, and see the waters of the Thames. The pasta had good texture and the tomatoes, while not tasting like the best you get from the Amalfi coast, were certainly fine. But our meal wasn’t mediocre, it was really good. Impeccable, but not instrusive … Radicchio salads. The mixed red fruits themselves were pleasant, but this was not even the best summer pudding I ate this week; in particular, the fruit coulis lacked intensity. The reviews are paid for by me, not by I started with taglierini pasta with slow cooked tomato and basil. Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London, England, W6 9HA, United Kingdom, The type of cuisine served at this restaurant, Typical price for three courses and modest wine, What I actually paid on this particular visit, Calculated from overall rating/average price: £££££ is best, £ least good, Score for the food from 1 to 20, with 20 being world class. Fritto misto, bound for another table, prompted a slightly regretful glance. But god is this place classy. A guide to the exceptional restaurants that define eating in London today. 1 sparkling water, 3 glasses of Beer, one bottle of good (not excellent) wine, 3 antipasti, 3 pasta dishes, 2 coffees and 1 dessert £ 265.00. It is a nice spot on a sunny day like today, the menu is appealing, the ingredients good and the cooking competent. The River Cafe sits on the banks of the River Thames. Further reviews: Yes, this is a plate of ham, leaves, and nuts. Very bland crab ravioli with a sauce I cannot even recall; the pasta dough probably all made with durum wheat thus making them almost stiff. We … I Call on same day to reserve a table for a business lunch, 3 people (just 2 hours before, to be honest) only to get engaged in some sort of negotiation with the receptionist who tells me that I can book, provided: a) I go for à la carte menu as fixed lunch menu is sold out and b) I vacate my table after 1.5 hours as there is another booking afterwards. The River Café opened in 1987, originally to feed the employees of the Richard Rogers architectural practice. You might find yourself looking at a middling plate of monkfish and seeing an unpaid £40 phone bill. Since 1994 I have been reviewing the best restaurants around the world including extensive Or a crispy taleggio and potato pizzetta, followed by a chargrilled bit of lamb with borlotti beans? Kerridge’s Bar and Grill near Embankment serves tarted up (and expensive) English classics, and nothing about it is hard to get on with. This is a River Cafe classic. Swallow Coffee Shop is a comfortable and welcoming coffee shop on the Goldhawk Road near Shepherd's Bush. All you need to know is that this pumpkin-filled pasta is a very good order. There’s no pushing here. Fresh tagliatelle. We are fairly regular visitors to London but have never visited as it seems a bit of a hike from central London. Sizeable charitable donation from ‘Anonymous’ classy. Find out more about these cookies on our Privacy & cookies page (you can also change your cookie settings here any time) or continue browsing to any other page and we’ll assume you are happy to receive these cookies. That’s what this tart makes you do, in a very good way. Things bathing in butter and cheese tend to make our heart beat a lot faster, but we won’t bring our personal lives into this. Ultimately, The River Cafe is what lots of people look for in a special occasion restaurant. Drop us a line and let us know where you’d like us to go next. However it was not a dazzling pasta dish as you might encounter at somewhere like Aimo e Nadia (barely 14/20). Which is ironic considering a lot of London’s ‘sharing plates’ restaurants seem to be the opposite. This seemed to me an awful lot of money but what do I know? Are we saying we want to be tied up in this pasta? But they do it on their own classy, reassuringly expensive terms. Upgrade to Chrome and start finding Restaurants. The River Cafe, Hazyview: See 365 unbiased reviews of The River Cafe, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #4 of 24 restaurants in Hazyview. River cafe, London: See 172 unbiased reviews of River cafe, rated 4.5 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #2,108 of 22,889 restaurants in London. Taglierini ai funghi, a twizzled, woody fist of noodles and finely chopped Scottish girolles, was okay. You name it, they probably did it here first. restaurateurs, so represent an independent and honest opinion. Appealing menu on paper, far less to the palate. If you shared a modest … What’s another mortgage anyway? Antipode is a slightly scruffy coffee shop near the Apollo in Hammersmith that stays open late when there's a concert on. Then the bill arrives – with one of the cheaper wines available between three people, and one person only having a single savoury course, the cost per head was still £81. Read our. Yes. We got attentive service, and appreciated the wine tastings before choosing a bottle from their extensive wine list. This is a restaurant full of people who are happily eating £23 plates of mozzarella. We're happy to get cabs but wondered (as you are a local) if you might know how easy it will be to get a taxi back into London. Italian are just the names of dishes, regretfully not flavours or ingredients and hardly their association. That combination may not be game changing, but it’s a lot harder to find than you think. Not every adored originator of a form is in need of a scalding hot take. Taglierini is a type of ribbon pasta. Can understand both points, but still not pleasant to be spelled conditions for paying them hefty money. We use cookies to help make this website better. At River Café, they give you what you want. At River Café, they give you what you want. Especially with the Thames on their left, and that bloke off that series to their right. 01st Dec 2008. with our advertising and analytics partners. As ever at the River Café, you sail through the meal thinking that this was a very pleasant experience. Langoustines, red mullet, scallops, crab, and a bit of champagne for good measure. Probably a gastropub delivering same quality would have spared me some 80 quid or thereabouts. What we’re saying is, actually, you can come here and share a pizzetta, have a pasta each, then split a whole Dover sole - all for around £50 quid a head. This one is cheesy with some crispy bits of potato. As ever at the River Café, you sail through the meal thinking that this was a very pleasant experience. N.B. Sometimes restaurants with exceptional views ride on their location, with less attention to the food. It gained a Michelin star in 1997, which it has retained ever since. The clattering, light-flooded room was thick with high-collared art dealer types, smiling Iris Apfel lookalikes and, generally, people for whom a lavish, Britpop-era lunch was still a viable reality. The fish was accurately cooked and had good flavour, and the olives were of nice quality; the spinach was cooked a tad more than I might have done at home, but was fine (just about 14/20). ‘Why does it look like a community library?’ asked Joe half-seriously as we put away roughly hacked chunks of olive oil-doused focaccia and sipped glasses of a crisp Tuscan rosé. Coffee was £3.50. Everyone should have a list of London restaurants on hand for those times when you have absolutely no intention of reaching for your wallet. Lume is a Sardinian restaurant and wine bar in Primrose Hill serving upscale pastas and mains in a casual, lowkey space. The River Café is only the first of these. Yes, the bill will leave most of us unable to look at the ruin of our bank balances for a while. Waitressing ok but too hurried, wanting to take my plate away even before my putting the cutlery at 9 o'clock. Firstly because it tastes good, and secondly because the canteen-ish atmosphere makes it feel like a reunion with friends you’ve never met. The Italian food is some of the best in London, and it has a warm, upscale vibe. Pick the perfect spot for every situation. Dover sole is a classic and this one is cooked perfectly. Somewhere with both reputation, food, and atmosphere to match. When are people not going to want to eat veal taglierini and bit of lip-smacking lemon tart? 2020 © The Infatuation Inc. All Rights Reserved. We’re always looking to make The Infatuation the best platform to find restaurants, and we appreciate your feedback! Don’t be put off by paying £40 for this though. Instead let me tell you that, if you’d care to witness London’s most furtive delivery of a commemorative birthday dessert, then this is absolutely the place to come. But, 31 years down the line, here is a place that can still teach you things about simplicity, care and beautiful ingredients singing in perfect, full-throated harmony. Verdi's is a proper neighbourhood Italian restaurant in Stepney Green with homemade pasta and bread that delivers every single time. Located in the epic lobby of the new Ned hotel in the City, Cecconi’s is a posh Italian restaurant that has the business lunch crowd locked down. It exists partially hidden (on the riverside) and in its own price bracket (up in the sky), both of which have allowed it carry on doing what it’s always done. That combination may not be game changing, but it’s a lot harder to find than you think. If you shared a modest bottle of wine, then three courses and coffee would typically set you back around £100 or more per head after service. COVID update: The River Café has updated their hours, takeout & delivery options. Don’t see your city? Service was very pleasant, quite attentive and the staff friendly, led by the suave Charles Pullan. Go to these restaurants when you want to feel you’ve escaped London, without actually leaving the city. Before the River Café plopped itself down in Hammersmith in 1987, the UK thought antipasti was a movement against pastries, and that anything rocket related was NASA’s business. Register with your social account or click here to log in. It was run by Ruth Rogers (the wife of the architect) and Rose Gray, who sadly passed away in 2010. Dishes displayed on a la carte menus are representative of the type of food available at the restaurant. But as we went halves on mozzarella di bufala, a salty-sweet mouth party of scattered cheese, little chopped commas of Ligurian olives, marinated peppers, wood-roasted datterini tomatoes and more luscious oil, a fair bit of scepticism dissolved. Starters began at £21, pasta dishes £20 to £25 and main courses £37 to £40, with desserts £10. No judgement. The restaurant has a cavernous dining room and, weather permitting, tables outside on the terrace. A lot of this plate is a bit charred and caramelised, and it’s generally quite lovely. The River Café changed that by serving the kind of Italian food we take for granted these days. You know that tk-tk-tk noise you make with your tongue against the top of your mouth? Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, W6, rivercafe.co.uk, 'A celeb hotspot which serves some of the best steak in town', 'A restaurant which has excelled at keeping it simple with seafood in Soho for 20 years', 'London’s highest-up restaurant isn’t short of highlights', 'Take a generous portion of Damien Hirst, stir in some Mark Hix and this is what you get', 'London’s oldest Indian restaurant is still one of the city’s best', 'Classic, celebratory and completely chilled out ', 'Relaxed Michelin-star dining with an Icelandic edge', 'This wonderful restaurant's bronzed walls have witnessed notorious scandals, great love affairs, pivotal political decisions', 'Fine-dining comfort food: traditional British fare in a tailored dressing gown', 'A favourite with London's celebrity set, Kate Moss, Emma Watson and the Beckhams are regulars while Katy Perry, Madonna and Jake Gyllenhaal like to visit when they are in town', 'Michelin stars give this place away: the food is duly exemplary', 'The Goring is a grand old gal, who enjoys her wine and good, solid British food, and that’s exactly what’s served: gold stars, then, that the dishes aren’t dated or dusty', 'The golden age of glamour is evoked with great service at the heart of the restaurant', 'n level 31, the views over London landmarks including St Paul's and The Gherkin are hard to beat', 'An A-list guestlist means this is a hotspot for celebritiy spotting', 'It attracted the fashionable Marleybone crowd long before the days of Chiltern Firehouse', Jimi Famurewa reviews the River Café: It gives you what you want on its own reassuringly expensive terms, {{#singleComment}}{{value}} comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComment}}{{value}} comments{{/singleComment}}.

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