Name: Riverlounge Italian
Address: 50 St. Katharines Way, London, Wapping, E1W 1LA, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7702 4588
Rating: 7

Riverlounge Italian overlooks St. Katharine’s Dock, and is in the company of the illustrious Medieval Banquet along with a handful of chains of the Café Rouge ilk. Tourist trap or corporate hell with prices to boot is what I’m thinking on the way there.

The venue itself is very attractive, with a dome-shaped ceiling covered in wooden slats giving it a cosy, sheltered feel, and views of mega-expensive boats and skyscrapers in the distance. Add to this the dim lighting and the setting is perfect for a romantic tête-à-tête.

The menu looks promising, as it’s stuck to the Italian tradition of dividing into antipasti, pasta dishes as the primi, and meat and fish dishes reserved for the secondi, even if some of the food appears to have been leftover from Crimbo, like the turkey and the Xmas pud with brandy. Something else that instils faith in us is the wine – a robust, oaky and utterly gorgeous 2006 Rioja is just £36.

A bowl of tagliatelle with wild board ragù is on the piggish side for a starter, but the garlicky tomato sauce and rich chunks of meat make it very difficult to leave any behind. Even better is the “basket” made from crispy Parmesan that it’s served in, the bottom of which melts into the sauce, while the sides can be broken off and eaten like crisps. A tower of aubergine, pepper and goat’s cheese is a far lighter option to start with, a nice, if unadventurous mixture of grilled veggies and semi-melted cheese.

A succulent beef fillet is paired with warm Gorgonzola sauce and chunky steak chips; the meat is juicy and the sauce creamy and a little tangy. The king prawns in their shells have been sautéed in tasty tomato sauce with a lovely, garlicky aroma that rises up from the bowl.

Dessert is less successful; the pandoro, a variation of panettone minus the dried fruit that is popular at Christmas is a tad on the dry side (as if it’s unwanted stock from the holidays) and could benefit from a bigger dollop of custard. The cheese platter with soft blue, sheep’s and a harder dairy cheese is a creamy heaven, and benefits from a pile of rocket leaves to cut through the richness.

The showers on the ground floor reveal that the building used to be used as a yachting club, now instead it’s a restaurant doing good Italian food. Three courses with wine comes to around £100 for two.

Riverlounge Italian

Credit Cards Accepted

Outdoor Area

Riverlounge Italian Picture Gallery

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