River Cafe , 1* Michelin

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ABOUT

The River Café is a restaurant in Fulham, London, England, specializing in Italian cuisine. It is owned and run by chefs Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers.
Located on the north bank of the Thames in Hammersmith (nearest railway station is Hammersmith tube station), in the former Duckhams oil storage facility modified by architect Lord Rogers, the husband of Ruth Rogers. Opened in 1987 as the employee café of the architectural partnership, there is a garden with views of the River Thames.
River Café brought to London the flavours of Italian home cooking with an emphasis on the finest ingredients, and an all-Italian wine list. The restaurant also brought to London a modern, open-plan kitchen and dining room with a buzzy atmosphere. "Sourcing, sourcing, sourcing" is the mantra of Rogers and Gray. Menus are tweaked constantly (sometimes twice a day) to respond to the seasons and what is best in the market, with simplicity the key. Signature dishes include: wild mushroom risotto; Dover sole and John Dory smoked in the restaurant's own wood stove; and rich Italian desserts including lemon almond cake or the chocolate "Nemesis" cake.
The restaurant earned a Michelin star in 1998 and is critically acclaimed, although sometimes criticised for aggressive pricing[1].
Gray and Rogers have written six highly successful cookbooks, including Italian Easy and The London River Café Cook Book. Their first book, Italian Country Cookbook won both the Glenfiddich Award for Food Book of the Year and the BCA Illustrated Book of the Year Awards. Rogers and Gray have since presented a 12-part series for Channel 4, The Italian Kitchen.
The River Cafe is also notable for the number of successful chefs that have trained in its kitchens. These include Sam and Sam Clark of Moro, Ed Baines of Randall & Aubin, April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig (in New York) and celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
In 2008, the Cafe was temporarily closed following a fire in the kitchen on Saturday 5th April. According to the Sunday Mirror's web site, the fire began around 7:30 in the evening and took two hours to bring under control. The article said that around 10% of the ground floor was gutted. It re-opened in autumn 2008 following a major refurbishment which included a fully exposed open-plan kitchen dominated by a wood-fired oven, a new private room & generally spruced-up surroundings

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Sample Menu

ANTIPASTI
Prosciutto di Parma e Charentais melon £13
Calamari ai ferri - chargrilled squid with fresh red chilli & rocket £12.50
Mozzarella di Bufala - with squashed ridged tomato bruschetta with wild oregano, basil
and Selvapiana extra virgin olve oil olive oil £12.50
Insalata di Zucchini - River Café garden leaves with grilled zucchini, herb vinegar and parmesan shavings £12
Antipasti di Verdura - roasted yellow peppers, smashed cannellini beans, spinach & rocket with oil and lemon,
grilled red chilli and golden marjoram £12
PRIMI
Spaghetti con Aragosta - with fresh Cornish lobster, parsley, fennel seeds, chilli and fresh tomato sauce £15
Taglierini con Gamberetti e Zucchini - handmade pasta with zucchini & their flowers, shrimps, butter
and basil £12.50
Risotto di Pesca Bianca - with white peach, prosecco, red basil, stock and parmesan £13
Tagliatelle con Funghi - fresh pasta with Scottish girolles, parsley, garlic and parmesan £14
SECONDI
Sogliola al forno - whole Dover Sole wood-roasted with summer savory & lemon, with roasted summer carrots, beetroots & plum tomatoes £29
Spiedino ai ferri - chargrilled monkfish & scallops on a rosemary stick with zucchini fritti, rocket and
anchovy & rosemary sauce £26
Branzino in cartoccio - wild Sea bass fillet baked in the bag with basil, lemon & vermouth, with Casteluccio lentils & samphire £28
Salmone in sale - wild Scottish salmon stuffed with rosemary branches & baked whole in sea salt, with aioli and Swiss chard & peas sott'olio (all at room temp.) £27
Coscia d'Agnello ai ferri - chargrilled marinated leg of lamb (pink) with salsa verde vedura mista of
violetta aubergines, red & yellow peppers & zucchini £27
Filetto di Manzo ai ferri - chargrilled and thinly sliced Longhorn beef fillet with fresh horseradish & crème fraiche, baked borlotti beans with red wine vinegar and large leaf rocket £29
Costoletto di Vitello al forno - wood-roasted veal chop with rosemary & lemon, Italian spinach and pan-fried Scottish girolles £29
I FORMAGGI
All £8
Rochetta - soft, creamy cow, goat & sheep's milk cheese from Piemonte
Taleggio Artigianale - soft, creamy cow's milk cheese with a natural crust, matured in caves, from Lombardia
Gorgonzola Naturale - soft, fruity & sappy, richly blue-veined cow's milk cheese from Lombardia
Sola Mista - semi-soft goat & cow's milk cheese from Valle d'Aosta
Per accompagnare i formaggi:
Bin No. 152 Recioto di Soave 2001, La Broia £8/glass
DOLCI E GELATI
All £7
Chocolate Nemesis
Lemon Tart
Almond Tart with Fresh Strawberries
Pannacotta with Grappa & Raspberries
Black Currant Sorbet
Hazelnut Ice Cream
River Café summer pudding with Valpolicella