The River Cafe

After a kitchen fire closed the River Café for 6 months in 2008 it reopened looking pretty well the way it always did. The fact is that Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers' Thames-side temple to authentic Italian cooking is a classic that needed no reinvention. It's still a cavernous white-painted room, just the right side of austere, showing off its steel and glass heritage from the original 18th-century warehouse, and flooded with light from a wall of plate-glass windows overlooking the wharf. Suitably industrial stainless-steel sheathes the open kitchen, and a wood oven, looking like a prop from Dr Who, takes centre stage. The vibe is buzzy and cosmopolitan, helped along by the casually-dressed but on-the-ball young staff. Menus change twice daily, and it's a good idea to eat early because popular dishes have usually sold out by the second sitting. The food is proper peasant stuff - mainly driven by the cuisine of Tuscany and Lombardy - so the reason you're paying an arm and a leg for it is that only the very best produce in optimum condition makes it onto the plate; many ingredients are hunted down specifically for their rarity, pedigree provenance and seasonality. Classic combinations are treated simply: scallops with anchovy dressing, borlotti beans and Treviso lettuce shows the trademark simplicity that lets the purity of the ingredients shine. Smoky notes from the wood-burning oven infuse roasted wood pigeon, stuffed with sage and thyme, and served with crunchy roast polenta and earthy cavolo nero. End with a sinful chocolate nemesis and a simple dollop of fresh cream.

Restaurant in converted warehouse. Entrance on S side of Rainville Rd at junct with Bowfell Rd
Nearest station: Hammersmith

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