The River Cafe

Expectations vs experience. The experience was very good. We sat outside on the terrace next to the river with the setting being both relaxed and elegant, situated next to the restaurant's garden. It's no mean feat keeping a restaurant relevant and pretty much fully booked for 36 years. It's still a chore finding a table and you have to take your hat off to Ruth Rogers for focusing and not expanding world-wide as many greedy business people do. The food was very well cooked and well thought through. I was not wowed as I am by some top restaurants and given the bill was £200 for two with 4 shared plates and 2 glasses of wine, I wouldn't jump to rebook again. Still with their waiting list, they won't miss me. If someone were to invite me, I would be happy to go back.

One goes to the River Café, for extraordinary cooking and usually have to book months in advance for the privilege. But today (a beautiful September lunchtime) we just walked off the street and were able to experience all those rare authentic Ruth Rogers treats without the long wait. Remarkable as always.

The River cafe is rightly a British institution and a refreshing and alternative option to more "formal" Michelin experiences due to its more laid back character and setting. It is obviously expensive but I do not understand the negative reviews that are caused by that. The restaurant is not hiding away from the prices and the guests are aware of what they are getting into when they make the reservation. Personally I believe that the restaurant tries to provide a finer dining experience to people who are willing to spend significantly more than average but want to relax and enjoy the food. It is not pretentious at all and the staff is lovely. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is interested to experience it. My recommendation would be to try dishes you wouldn't necessarily have elsewhere in order to experience the full potential of the restaurant and get more "value" out of an expensive experience.

Having read so much about the Chocolate Nemesis over the years, I made it my mission to try it on my birthday this year - and that's exactly what I did. I loved the decor and it felt instantly very singular compared of all the many restaurants I have dined at across the city - clean, fresh, fun but also reminiscent of a cool bar in a late 90s/early 00s rom com. The Turbot was perfection, it absolutely melted in my mouth. I love how generous the portions were compared to other fine dining restaurants. And, just as I hoped, the Chocolate Nemesis was everything I wanted it to be - light, delicate, rich and utterly unique. I washed it down with a fresh mint tea, which was the cherry on top of a fabulous evening.