What 33 people say about RIVA
| Food | |
| Service | |
| Atmosphere |
Good
Good tasty food , nice atmosphere and friendly staff.
The restaurant was fully booked but the service was unbelievably good. Three ladies ran the service like clockwork and the timing of delivery of our meals was perfect. The food was just sublime and really worth the special price. Thoroughly recommend.
Good food good service
What a wonderful surprise. A small true Italian restaurant. We had the 5-course restaurant week special. It was worth more than the price tag. Started off with delicious homemade bread and the portions were actually too big for us. A welcome surprise to our last restaurant week special where the portions were far to...
Read full reviewWhat a wonderful surprise. A small true Italian restaurant. We had the 5-course restaurant week special. It was worth more than the price tag. Started off with delicious homemade bread and the portions were actually too big for us. A welcome surprise to our last restaurant week special where the portions were far too small for an average meal.
It is seldom that the waiters are that passionate about the food they serve and they could answer all our curious questions about the food. The chefs are hands-on, friendly, mix with the patrons and still produce the best food. A rare find, highly recommended.
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About RIVA
Cuisine: Italian
Childhood friends Nicoló Rovarini and Federico Rocca grew up on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Italy. Their resulting love of seafood is now being translated for a South African audience in De Waterkant.
Food
If you’re expecting Italian classics, think again. Kick off with a carpaccio (the fish changes daily), sliced and served with coconut flakes, olive oil and kiwi fruit. It’s an unusual pairing, and the flavours don’t quite meld. Saldanha Bay mussels – marinated in olive oil until wonderfully tender – served on a crispy fried piece of polenta, are a safer bet. Pasta is made in-house, and the bronze drawn spaghetti, served with cherry tomatoes and clams is perfectly al dente. Squid ink gnocchi with prawns comes laced with vibrant threads of saffron, which lend a unique flavour to the dish. If you’ve space for secondi, there’s the option of a vast platter, a smaller platter of fried hake, calamari and bait fish, or the Abalobi catch of the day. For dessert, there’s a wonderfully chewy, almost creamy lemon sorbet, and a very good tiramisu.
Ambience
The restaurant takes its name from the legendary boat building company, Riva, who make the kind of wood-clad speedboat that James Bond would pilot. The white walls are cleverly decorated with broad blue stripes, a clutch of black-and-white photos and a little boat-themed brick-a-brack. Above, the light bulbs dangle from thick rope. All-in-all, the feeling is of a relaxed seafood trattoria, with lights just dim enough for it to feel romantic.
