The River Cafe

I recently had dinner at The River Cafe with my mom, Mike and Uncle Bia. It was one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. For starters we had the calamari ai ferri, and spaghetti ai vongole. The squid was perfectly grilled; it tasted sweet and just the right amount of seasoning. The chilli brought out the taste of the squid, and the hot chilli complimented it just right. The rocket leaves were fresh, peppery with just the right sharpness, drizzled with just a little olive oil. Yum yum. The spaghetti was cooked just right (al dente for those of you foodies), not too chewy but not too soggy either. The clams and zucchini were just right, seasoned perfectly, and the wine sauce was amazing. Heaven I tell you. For mains, I had salmone selvatica al sale. I've never had baked salmon so good before. I am now converted back to salmon. The sides were equally as amazing. I never thought I would rave so much about roast peppers (i hate yellow peppers btw) and cannellini beans, but everything about this dish just blended together perfectly. My mom had branzina ai ferri. PERFECT. Grilled sea bass, seasoned perfectly, flaky and juicy (which I don't think is a superlative that you usually use with fish dishes...) A little drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. So simple yet so great. The zucchini fritters cooked just right with a light batter, crispy and just provided the right amount of coating to the veg. Michael had the san pietro al forno. A large serving of john dory grilled, again, to perfection. Flaky, seasoned just right, and together with the potatoes and porcini mushroom every bite was visibly enjoyed by my better half. My uncle had the Coscia d' Agnello and although he was on a diet, I must say he devoured his meal heartily. The lamb was pink and very juicy. The veg was cooked just right, still with a bite but not too crunchy to be considered underdone. I especially liked the beetroot. The amazing thing about the whole thing is that I loved all the things that I wouldn't normally eat. I hate beetroot, and yellow peppers, and I don't eat beans nor zucchini. This whole meal was just full of superlatives.

Dessert was alright, considering that we are not dessert people, we just had to try it. The River Cafe' Lime Tart definitely is one to try, especially for those of you who like key lime pie. This was just so tart, yet balanced with the right amount of sweetness, and you could taste how fresh the limes were. The pannacotta with grappa & raspberries (I fail horribly at making pannacotta in class...I just could never get the right amount of gelatine to save my life) was not too soft, not too hard, and it was grappa all the way. The blackberry sorbet was the best damn sorbet I've ever had. And the coffee? It was the best.

I went to this restaurant expecting nothing, and I got the best meal of my life.