Having read the rather negative reviews so far, I feel compelled to write a more positive one about my visit yesterday. I ate at River Cafe a good few years ago and remember a simple, but utterly delicious experience. Knowing that restaurants can fade quite dramatically once the accolades start rolling in, there was always the risk that standards had fallen.

Arriving at our outside table on a glorious sunny, warm day, the tone was already set for a fabulous long, lazy lunch. If you are looking for fancy new techniques, ingredients, and fusion combinations, this is not the place for you. If you want excellent ingredients done well, then indulge yourself at the River Cafe. Undeniably the prices are high, but the antipasti are definitely good for 2-3 people sharing. The serving sizes are not stingy. And how many restaurants do you know in London that serve top quality filtered still or sparkling filtered water at £1.50 per pitcher with unlimited refills? And the olive oil for bread dipping was indescribably good. I am no olive oil fan, but this stuff was peppery and full bodied without being cloying and over-powering. But now onto the food…

We started with the Scottish langoustines split and wood-roasted with garlic and parsley. Fresh, juicy and tasty. I found myself sucking every last remnants from it. Then followed with the linguine with Devon crab, fennel herb, lemon and dried chilli. Again, seafood this fresh, does not need much done to it. There was plenty of crab – white and brown – to give it a satisfying kick.

My main was the chargrilled marinated leg of lamb with salsa verde and verdura mita of aubergines, zucchini and peppers. The lamb was tender with distinctive taste of the grill. When meat arrives more cooked than I usually like, it is usually a bad sign. Not here. I could cut through it like a piece of fine fillet.

Our table indulged in share desserts of chocolate nemesis, which a flourless chocolate cake that the Italians do so well, and almond tart with… More