The River Café

We keep returning just to check whether lady luck has evaded us on our previous visits. I was led here this time by comments from a regular diner who thinks River Cafe is a place that “always delivers”.
Not having visited since the fire, I never did quite get this place in terms of food standards –v- price/enjoyment, preferring places such as Zafferano and Locanda Locatelli where consistency is pretty much guaranteed.
Together with the riverside setting and buzzy atmosphere, the industrial look to this property has always appealed to me. It reminded me of an aircraft hangar with character and warmth, and still does; little seems to have changed with décor except for the enormous, white, wood burning stove.

Food………
Being wary of previous pasta experiences I concentrated on fish and seafood which was not a difficult choice given the array of offerings for the day. Fabulous huge plate of crabmeat atop seakale, all lifted by finely grated bortaga (price tag justified) – I’d defy anywhere to better this. A shared, delicately gamey ‘primi ‘of papardelle with rabbit, pigeon and pheasant scored high for both of us – it would be so easy to overindulge on such a moreish dish. A superb specimen of dover sole laced with anchovy, served with lentils and greens was very satisfying and ‘king of the sea’ in my opinion. (Meat dishes I was told were good, though uninspiring).

Wine…….
Always good, and should be for the mark-ups.

Service…….
Eager and boastful of the cuisine they are serving.

Nothing fancy here and one can’t object to the rustic… More

What a disappointment!

Starters (squid, and a fig salad) were nothing special – yes the ingredients were very good quality but at this price you expect something in addition to that.

Pasta – we chose one option with a walnut sauce which was bland beyond belief. The other was a penne (which appeared to be the dried variety rather than fresh) with a more successful game sauce. Still, I've had much better pasta at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen, frankly some of the items on Carluccio's and Piccolino's menus are tastier.

Meat – Partridge was quite unpleasant – to be fair it's the first time either of us had tried it, so perhaps it's just not our thing. Vegetable accompaniments to the partridge had a very strong vinegar flavour which was not enjoyable. Pork loin was well executed and vegetable accompaniments were good – but at a price, I think a half-decent gastropub could produce a similar plate of food in terms of quality but somewhat more cheaply.

Dessert & wine – Wine was fabulous and relatively reasonable in price. Pudding (walnut cake, and I forget the other option) were tasty but not outstanding.

On the plus side, service was excellent, although I've never been to a restaurant with so many staff so it should be good. We enjoyed the atmosphere, although the tables were quite close together.

Overall if you want a special Italian meal I would recommend a visit to Locanda Locatelli or Zafferano instead.

Food was nicely cooked but it lacked salt on two different dishes. The service was good to start with and it became really slow as the evening went on.
The above qualify as the good part of the review.
The room is overcrowd and the noise makes conversation a really bad idea to pursue. The menu is massively overpriced and some of the portions are really small. ( my wife can choose better than me )
The river cafe is supposed to be an Italian restaurant and I can guaranty you it misses the target by a long distance.
It is not acceptable that at 75£ per head, with only one glass of wine and and one house drink overall plus tap water, you are served dinner on paper table cloth.
It is not acceptable that your table is attached on one side to a wall, not a this price anyway.
Never again.
For the same money or less Locanda Locatelli, Scalini, Green Olive and many others offer a much better Italian experience