Emma Clarendon paid a visit to the French Riviera styled restaurant.
The French Riviera has arrived in London courtesy of new restaurant Riviera which certainly reflects the glamour and luxuriousness that you can expect to find in this particular area of French.
This latest launch from the Zandi brothers’ Emerald Hospitality Group (whose other restaurants also include Como Garden, Zuaya and El Norte) has a light, breezy and relaxing atmosphere that in terms of capturing the essence of the French Riviera in terms of style is spot on. Meanwhile, the food and drinks made available really capture the full range of the French cuisine.
While on the first floor is a lovely and lavish bar area, the second floor takes you up to the expansive restaurant space that is filled with natural light and generally comfortable and relaxing space that is ideal for a lavish dining experience, filled with quality in terms of the attentive customer service.
As you relax into your surroundings, it is best to start off with a cocktail to help set the tone of the evening ahead and there is certainly a sophisticated list of them to enjoy. On this occasion, I selected the wonderfully fruity and playful Paradis de Mangue (Mango Vodka, Vanilla Liquor, Passion Fruit Liquor, Orange Juice, Mango Juice, Lime Juice And White Chocolate Foam and Mango Powder), while my companion selected the (what he described) refreshing Coconut Breeze.
But of course, the sensory experience was only just beginning, as our starters arrived: a portion of the colourful burrata & roasted tomatoes which went down a storm, as did the ratatouille & feta cheese brioche – which was surprisingly light and filled with a lovely range of flavour. It has to be said that (as with the rest of the menu) there was plenty of other options that I could have quite happily chosen including smoked salmon, crème fraîche & blinis or the scallops & citrus butter for example.
The other thing to be noted when dining at Riviera, the portions are really quite generous – as we soon found out with the arrival of our main courses. My companion opted for the grilled ribeye (1kg) on the bone with the green pepper and blue cheese sauce, which he managed to make an impressive hole in. Meanwhile, I choose the grilled beef fillet (250gr) & Black Pepper Sauce, while on the side we shared the french fries, creamy mashed potatoes and the cooked to perfection asparagus. I have to say the amount of meat (even for my dish) was impressive but very filling that I don’t feel as though I did full justice to what was in front of me! Meanwhile, the pepper sauce had quite the kick to it that will please those who like a bit of spice. One recommendation would be to slightly reduce the size of portions served as it felt a bit of a waste (although you can opt to take the leftovers home with you should you wish to although I’m not sure it would taste quite the same).
The evening concluded with us sharing a crème brûlée which was deliciously creamy and light that we both enjoyed and was the perfect way to conclude the evening.
Overall, the portion sizes were overly generous, the experience was one of decadence and really did bring the Riviera to London!
By Emma Clarendon
To find out more about the restaurant visit: https://www.riviera-london.co.uk/
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐