River Cafe

Went to The River cafe on saturday 15th of march with to friends and the food was absolutley outstanding along with great attentive service and carnt wait to go back!!!
Comment on this reader review

Andrew Markou
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 16, 2008

Went on a busy Friday night 13th February 2008 and lukcy to get a table at 9.0pm without a booking after a half hour wait at the bar. We didnt mind as the Limoncello cocktails were great. Friendly greetings and good service which when it did slip after our signature drinks Prosecco with Blood Red orange juice went missing we were given them on the house within seconds of complaining, The starters of calamari were a little heavy on the chilli but the main of monkfish accompanied with battered artichoke was excellent. The dessert of almond and prune cake was also excellent. Good friendly atmosphere with everything you would expect for £70 pp including drinks.
Comment on this reader review

Mark Davies
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

My wife and I made a special trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The food was excellent, and we found the staff friendly and courteous (if a little discracted at times). There appears to be at least a two-tier service, with regulars and 'celebrities receiving special treatment. This didn't bother us, or spoil our experience at all. I had calamari followed by one of the best fillet steaks I have ever tasted. The only minor hiccup being a wait to give our wine order (having a separate wine waiter here feels a bit old fashioned), followed by a delay which meant that the wine did not arrive until just before the main course. Non of that spoiled an excellent experience and we were glad we had chosen the restaurant for a special meal.
Comment on this reader review

David
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Had a wonderful evening thoroughly enjoyable
Comment on this reader review

Terry
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 18, 2008

had sunday lunch here and it was just wonderful. mouth watering risotto of langoustine to start followed by sea bass baked in herbs with potatoes finished off with the best panacota in london. friendly and efficient service lovely light airy building makes for a great informal atmosphere . in short we were all thrilled with the experience.
Comment on this reader review

pete hutchison
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, January 18, 2008

What's happened to the River Cafe?

I visited the cafe on Saturday night and decided that I really must share my concerns with someone other than just my partner, who is one of those "musn't grumble" people.

We started with crab bruschetta. Crab was excellent, bruschetta and accompanying frozen spinach, which added nothing to the dish appeared to be simply thrown onto the plate. I suppose you would call this simplicity!

We decided we wanted to try everything, so we opted for the primi next. I had ravioli which was very soft and covered in cheese. I discreetly sent this dish back, much to the disgruntlement of my partner! The waitress returnedn to inform me that they make their own pasta from semolina flour and it's very delicate, not overcooked! I was left wondering why on earth thry would want to then spoil such a delicate dish with so much cheese on top? The waitress offered me a complimentary dessert.

I chose lobster as a main course. I enjoy lobster, but found this one hard going, a it was rather like attempting a mini-operation on a plate. A massive contorni of over oily fennel was shoved in my direction a third of which I managed to eat. I enjoyed the informal atmosphere of the River Cafe, but couldn't help thinking I wouldn't have minded a bit of extra care when I received my bill. To summarize simple, not particularly well cooked food at astrronomical prices.
Comment on this reader review

Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Sunday, January 06, 2008

The Best Restaurant in the World

Yes it is - better than L'Arpege, El Bulli and many other highly rated restaurants. The food is divine - exquisite, surprising, beautiful, carefully and inventively made with the best ingrediants and deeply satisfying - post-Italian to coin a neologism. I have always founds the staff very coureous and helpful and the room and surroundings are beautiful. Of course it is expensive and hard to get into but food of this quality and creativity is not easy or cheap to make!
Comment on this reader review

Peter Hall
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, December 03, 2007

The River Café was my treat for my brother’s fortieth. While we had travelled only as far as Chiswick, he and his wife had driven up from the Wirral. Sadly, they travelled back with their worst prejudices of the snooty south intact. Why does this lovely light, airy space with its divine food, deliver such an unpleasant experience at the hands of its hateful front of house staff?

Reading back through these reviews, I can see winners and losers. Some diners are treated like celebs, others like plebs. Can the management simply hit a consistency of attentive courtesy, and settle at that? If we wanted to be humiliated, a professional dominatrix would have provided a cheaper service. Exquisite food never left so sour a taste.
Comment on this reader review

Bernie Hayden
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Friday, November 02, 2007

Best yet.
Comment on this reader review

Kay mitchell
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I haven't felt moved to write a review before but our experience last weekend at the River Cafe was outstanding. It helped, of course, that it was a beautiful, sunny day in Autumn and we sat by flowering sage and pumpkin. But the service was really something special. Nothing was too much for our waitress, who didn't know it was our anniversary, but acted as if she did. And the food...we were expecting simplicity (we sometimes cook from their books); they managed, though, to add an element to each course that we hadn't predicted. The sorbet was built around a rare Italian grape that tastes of strawberry; the risotto was made from a special rice that maintains its hardness in cooking.

Expensive, sure - and then the waitress knocked several dishes off the bill for some slowness and problems we hadn't noticed or complained about. Very special.
Comment on this reader review

Richard
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, October 16, 2007