Feel like you've been transported to Southern Italy with a trip to Riva Blu on Birmingham's Temple Row. This teal coloured restaurant is home to the most plush, luxurious interiors, and has unparalleled glamour. You can walk in for a drink at the cocktail bar, or enjoy dining near the open kitchen. This is La Dolce Vita.
In Italian fashion, try sharing starters, enjoying great food with your loved ones. The fritto misto consists of calamari, wild red prawns, red mullet, king prawns and whitebait with confit garlic mayonnaise, chilli and lemon mayonnaise, chives and lemon dressing, but cheese lovers should consider the tagliere misto, featuring freshly baked bread with prosciutto di parma, coppa di parma, mortadella, salame napoli, mozzarella di bufala, ricotta di bufala, and pecorino romano. Regular portion starters include crispy fried arancini balls with smoked provola and Italian cheese sauce, tender pan seared king scallops with confit garlic, red chilli and parsley butter, and the Apulian burrata with sage and walnut pesto and walnut sourdough.
The pasta section is rather delightful, with half a lobster tossed with linguine, vine ripened tomatoes, chilli and fresh basil, and the fettuccine bolognese with slow cooked beef ragu, tomato, matured Italian cheese and basil. There are plenty of classic pasta dishes, including lasagna, arrabbiata and carbonara, along with more interesting dishes, like the creamy Arborio rice infused with truffle, burrata cream, parmesan and fresh truffle. From the pizza section try the pizza pomodoro giallo with a yellow tomato base, crispy pancetta, smoked provola cheese, semi dry tomatoes and basil, or the creamy white base pizza with DOP parma ham, Italian cheese and truffle cream, rocket and pecorino romano.