The new St James’s restaurant, Riviera, is a vast airy space on the upper level of a grand 19th century building – there are great views through the massive double height windows of the ornate nearby buildings and a whole lot of sky. Hopefully, that’s going to be blue enough – and the temperature warm enough – to enjoy the newly opened rooftop terrace, too, this late summer and into the autumn.
Riviera is part of the group that includes Zuaya and Como Garden in Kensington and El Norte in Mayfair and, while they all offer different cuisines, what they do have in common are an ambience of calm and a passion for food. The latest to open, Riviera’s cuisine is, as the name suggests, Mediterranean.
When Gem and I went along one rather miserable weekday evening, we were determined to capture that beakerful of the warm south – for a moment imagining we were in the Cote d’Azur (not in the heart of drizzly London). And the ambience is appropriate for daydreams –tranquil and sophisticated.
The bar is the main feature – an uplit ladder of bottles against a quintessentially London backdrop. Bucket and heart-shaped chairs, subdued lighting and widely spaced tables give a quiet atmosphere and we decided to go for a glass of fizz (Cremant D’Alsace Jean Baptiste Adam) as an appropriately Riviera-style touch while we gave the menu our full attention.
And the menu certainly has a decidedly French accent – something you don’t really see in London as often as you once did. So the starters included such familiar favourites as Snails with Garlic Butter & Parsley Persillade, Nicoise Salad, Steak Tartar and Foie Gras Brioche. We decided to try a rather glamorous-looking Truffle & Goat Cheese stuffed Courgette Flower in Tempura, surprisingly large and very tasty plus a Lobster Brioche so we could share.
There are a few pasta dishes on the menu and Gem went for Truffle and Cheese Gnocchi which she thought was excellent (I had a taste of this, too, and agreed). I plumped for the Grilled Lamb Cutlets with Puy Lentil and this came with French Beans with Confit Onion and Chilli for a bit of an extra kick.
There are a couple of other meat courses (Butter & Mustard Baby Chicken and a Grilled Beef Fillet with Café de Paris Sauce) as well as three fish courses (the fish being octopus, turbot and sea bass) as well as a market fish of the day. The menu is not, though, extensive except for the starter courses and, unless you’re feeling particularly hungry, I would advise going for a range of starters to share for more variety. They do have a shorter weekday prix fixe lunchtime menu, too. Back at our own table, we both had a really rather nice dessert, crème brulee and lavender shortbread to finish off.
Riviera has room to grow. The terrace is in a great spot and has literally just opened and there’s a downstairs lounge, too: Amelia, with live entertainment and a resident DJ till 1am.
Riviera, 23 St James St, London SW1A 1HA. Riviera is running a Côte d’Azur buffet brunch on Sundays, for £85pp with unlimited champagne, featuring live music. A soft launch until the end of October includes 20% off. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.riviera-london.co.uk.
