thefish's Profile
London: Foodie parents with kids
We also took our three kids (16,14,9) to St. John and they loved it! The waiter was terrific and happy to bring out another portion of veal heart with pickled walnut dressing when the kids devoured the first.
We all also loved Anchor and Hope. The whole kid leg saltambocca for the whole table along with chips and aioli was delicious. We went back another night for dessert. Great place. Don't miss it. Good luck!!
Dinner at the River Cafe, London...BLECH!!
I've eaten at plenty of expensive restaurants across the world and completely expected to pay top dollar (or top pound, in this case) at the River Cafe. What I didn't expect was to get a lousy meal. My girls, ages 9, 13, and 16, were the first ones to taste the pasta and immediately complained that it was overcooked. They were also spot on again, when they complained that the pigeon was inedible. Two nights before this debacle, they were sucking down venison heart with pickled walnut dressing at St. Johns and asking for more. St. Johns wasn't cheap either, but the meal was delicious and interesting.
The lack of creativity or imagination at the River Cafe was stunning. Every bloody course had proscuitto, mint or peas in it.
I''m all for simple, well-sourced ingredients treated simply. However, it then requires impeccable technique in the kitchen to pull off a successful dish. There was a distinct lack of skilled cooking at the River Cafe the night we ate there.
I went to the River Cafe expecting a terrific and expensive meal, and they only got one part of that right; and not the part I would have preferred.
Dinner at the River Cafe, London...BLECH!!
They were terrible, and you are right, I should have sent them back. In fact, I should have sent back half that meal. It's not something I like to do. I can't vouch for the River Cafe's sourcing, but that pigeon could have come from Central Park in NYC. It was as tough as a NYC cop and as tasteless as the NY Post.
Dinner at the River Cafe, London...BLECH!!
Ate at the River Cafe tonight. My wife was dying to go after having eaten there in the past and loving it. Beautiful space. The menu reads pretty good, although not whoppingly inspired.
We (my wife and three kids) started with proscuitto and melon, which was delicious, a salad with gull eggs and asparagus, which was boring and undersalted, and grilled squid with peas.
That was followed by three primi courses. A risotto with proscutto, pasta with stinging nettles, and ravioli with ricotta and mint. The risotto was delicious but gone in three bites. All four of the ravioli were yummy. The other pasta was watery and overcooked.
For the mains we had a roasted pigeon and a veal shin. Both were vile. Both were grossly undersalted and the pigeon was as tough as a new sneaker. The veal shin which was off the bone (although still attached to plenty of tendon and other ineatable bits) came with more risotto.
Overall, this was far and away the worst meal of a week of eating in London. The best, by the way, were St. John and The Anchor and Hope. Not only was it the worst meal, but the price was insane; 250 pounds, and we didn't even stay for dessert! I know that peas, mint and proscuitto are in season, but they showed up in one form or another in EVERY freaking dish! Come on guys, try to change it up a little, will ya!?!?! Funny too, that with the insane prices you would think that the portion sizes would be reasonable. You would think that but you would be wrong. My nine year old even left hungry.
Overall, it'll be a cold day in hell before I go back. On the other hand, my kids did go nuts seeing Jack Black come out of the bathroom before their eyes.
Jack Black is cool, but not cool enough to justify ever going back to this decaying armpit.
