Riva

Mr. Foo and I went there for a special occasion :) I've been wanting to try Riva for a while, but hadn't got the chance to. Riva was rated as the best restaurant or the best French restaurant for years, thus I had a really high expectation for it.

It was located in the corner of the Ground Floor of The Park Lane. It didn't look grand from the outside, and the interior was not that exceptional. The restaurant was small and intimate. It was just like a high class French bistro, yet the vibe given was not too formal. When we were there, the restaurant wasn't busy. It was a weekday night after all. There were only us two and another couple.

From our table, we could enjoy the open kitchen and even somewhat heard the Chef giving instructions. And yes, it was the Executive Chef Renauld Le Rasle pictured. 

Anyway, Riva had 3 choices of tasting menu, ranging from 700ish to 900ish if I'm not mistaken for 7 courses menu (again I'm not quite sure). However, all of the people in the table were required to ordered the same tasting menu course. I wanted to try the basic one, which consisted of Escargots, etc, basic French food I assumed. On the other hand, Mr. Foo wanted to try the other one that had wagyu. In the end, we didn't ordered the tasting menu :'( It was because both of us just got wagyu steaks on our visit to Cassis two days ago.

Free Bread

Amuse Bouche

As usual, the amuse bouche was given for free. I forgot what it was. But I remember, I was reluctant trying it since it looked plain and I did not really know what to expect. Mr. Foo tried it first and encouraged me to try. It was indeed delicious!

Escargots - Rp 115k

Roasted Scallops - Rp 210k

We ordered Escargots and Scallops for our appetizer. These had to be one of the best escargots I had tasted. It was perfect to me and I loved the buttery sauce. Mr. Foo, a scallop freak, insisted ordered the scallops. Sadly, it just had 2 pieces, so we had one each. It was good, and I was not a fan of scallops to begin with. However, the ham(?) spring roll that was served together with the scallops didn't taste that good compare to the other food.

Veal Loin - Rp 455k

I ordered the Veal Loin medium. It was served with a small pot of seasoned vegetables. The texture was perfectly tender. Later on towards the meal however, the meat started to lack in flavor and became dry.

Trout - Rp 345k

I'm sorry for not remembering the exact names for the dishes :( Mr. Foo ordered the trout. I had a small piece, but I forgot how it tasted tho'. I thought it was quite good.

We didn't get the chance to order any dessert since I craved for a specific dessert somewhere else. 

In conclusion, the amuse bouche and the appetizers were super great. However, the entrees did not wow me. I still gave the benefit of doubt though. Overall, we really liked Riva. It met my expectation and definitely will come back for the tasting menu and the dessert of course. Oh well, the tasting menu had dessert in it :p

Riva

The Park Lane

Jl. Casablanca Kav. 18

Jakarta Selatan

Ph: (021) 828 2000