Refreshing small plates
Rivea |
Rivea is a new Italian restaurant by the world famous chef Alain Ducasse, located inside the super posh Bulgari Hotel which has a lovely staircase leading to the main restaurant space. Food is served on small plates like tapas size with the waiter suggesting ordering between four to five dishes each. At lunchtime they offer a pretty good deal at £35 for 4 courses and tea or coffee which is what we went for.
Marinated sea bream, citrus |
Buffalo mozzarella, courgette and basil |
Warm octopus and potato salad |
Red mullet, confit tomatoes, olives |
Our meal got off to a great start with the warm octopus and potato salad, the octopus was really tender with just the right level of seasoning. Marinated sea bream was also another fine dish, served raw with a refreshing dressing of citrus, the sourness really brought out the sweetness and freshness of the fish. Less impressive was the lamb rib and saddle, everything on the plates was cooked well with some classic elements such as new potatoes and broad beans, but it lacked any excitement and at £17 for such a tiny portion, I just felt it wasn't worth it.
Rib and saddle of lamb, new potatoes and broad beans |
Roast duckling and figs |
Lemon shortbread, Limoncello sorbet |
Thin chocolate and raspberry palet |
In the end I found the food was nothing fancy, not what you would expect from an Alain Ducasse restaurant. But rather, it was simple cooking, using top ingredients with top execution. Price wise it is not cheap thanks to the Knightsbridge location inside a 5 star hotel, with limited wine by the glass. But the quality of the food is definitely there and time will tell if it can become the next hot restaurant in London.
Food 3/5
Executive chef:
Alexandre Nicolas
What I paid:
£52 per head with a cocktail
Average cost without drinks and services :
£35 lunch menu
£40 - £50 dinner menu
Bulgari Hotel, 171 Knightsbridge, London SW7 1DW
http://rivealondon.com/
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