London Feasts: The River Cafe

D and I figured why not take a day off and turn my business trip to Italy into a short vacation? We had a choice between Milan and London, and London made the cut in the end. During the planning, what started off as a few nice meals quickly turned into a tour of London’s top restaurants. Oh dear – we were literally scared of the consequences: We’re going to be fat and broke by the end of this trip.

The first stop on our list was the iconic River Cafe. I’ve always wanted to go there, not just because it comes highly recommended, but also because I’ve followed a lot of their recipes and the results have been good. Now that I’m in London, of course I had to check it out for myself.

For starters, we ordered the calamari and carpaccio. The calamari was fresh and the dish had a nice kick to it. The carpaccio was prepared in the traditional way, but the meat was of a thicker cut than usual, yet the meat wasn’t chewy at all. It was a terrific start to our meal.

Calamari ai ferri - char-grilled squid with red chilli & rocket

Carpaccio di Manzo - sliced beef fillet with wild rocket and parmesan slivers

Before I go on further, let me just point out that the first “real” pasta dish I’ve ever made was based on a recipe from the River Cafe Cook Book (Book 2). The result didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped and I figured it was most likely due to lack of cooking experience.  Years later, sitting at the restaurant, I confirmed my analysis. Their pasta dishes are good and my cooking was crap ..(back then!!)

River Cafe’s pasta is, of course, all freshly made. From the looks of it, the ravioli would seem heavy but it’s surprisingly not. As for the crab linguine, D and I couldn’t have enough of it. The sweetness of the crab together with the heat of the chillies – a superb combination.

Panzotti ai Funghi - fresh pasta stuffed with dried porcini, spinach & mascarpone with sage butter & parmesan

Linguine con Granchio - with fresh Devon crab, chilli, parsley & lemon

By now we were stuffed, and thankfully we ordered a relatively light main course. Once again, the chef delivered a simple, yet delicious dish. We manage to clean even the last bit of lentil off.

Capesante ai ferri - char-grilled scallops with anchovy & rosemary, lentils & Scottish sea kale

This being the first meal of the trip, we naturally went overboard and ordered not one, but two desserts…two chocolate desserts, that is.

Chocolate nemesis

Chocolate sorbet - I think this one should be named nemesis instead! Super rich, super good. Couldn't finish it though.

The River Cafe puts the emphasis on freshness and simplicity. You won’t get liquid nitrogen or cigarette-flavored jelly, but you’ll most likely leave the restaurant stuffed and satisfied. For a restaurant that has sadly lost one of its co-owners just last year, my experience there was proof that the River Cafe is still going strong, and so far has been successful at carrying on the legacy of Rose Gray. If I’m ever in London again and if time permits, for sure there will be a second visit.