Riverside Dining: Riverside Studios
Above: Riverside Studios terrace
Arriving at Riverside Studios you’d be surprised to find a restaurant here. It is an arts and music venue which has grown from an early 20th century industrial building into a regular haunt for live music, comedy evenings and art exhibitions. However, there is a contemporary bar and dining room inside, and out the back you’ll discover a sunny, quiet terrace overlooking the Thames at Hammersmith Bridge.
The day of our visit was one of
the first sunny days this year, so we headed out to the terrace and squinted at the bar and drinks menu. My companion chose a glass of the Good Hope South African Shiraz (£4.20) and I chose the Viu Manet Chilean Sauvignon Blanc (£4) which were brought swiftly by a friendly waitress.
The menus were a mixture of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian with a few rather English-sounding open sandwiches thrown in as well. The prices were very reasonable (around £5 for a starter,
£12 for a main) and there was an interesting selection from wild boar and porcini ragu to seafood paella.
I chose the hazelnut crust goat’s cheese salad with beetroot (specials £8.50), which turned out to be absolutely delicious. The cheese was creamy and not too rich with the hazelnuts enhancing its natural nutty flavour. The cherry tomatoes and crunchy garlic croutons also added some texture to what could have been a rather squashy meal.
My companion opted for the kemia – a Moroccan mezze plate (£11) from the bar menu which was an array of falafel, couscous, tahini, coriander and mint yoghurt, pitta bread and grilled lamb kofte kebabs with harissa sauce.
The falafel seemed too perfectly shaped to be homemade (as we felt they should be), but we both agreed that they were tasty nonetheless.
The harissa didn’t have quite the
kick one might have liked, but the coriander and mint yoghurt, couscous and pitta were good and the kebabs full of flavour.
Afterwards, we ordered coffees –
a cappuccino and a latte (£2 each) –
and the refreshing fruit jelly with vanilla ice-cream (£4.50), loaded with cranberries, redcurrants and raspberries. Combined with the relaxing atmosphere of the terrace, it was just what was needed on an early summer’s day spent by the river. LJ