AT RIVA BLU LOVE GOES HAND IN HAND WITH FOOD

Italians are known for their love of romance so its not surprising that their cuisine makes the perfect cibo dell’ amore.

Then why not take a leaf out of their book and go Italian for your Valentine’s or Galentines celebrations at Riva Blu.

Riva Blu gives an authentic taste of Southern Italy offering a genuine taste of Naples on its menu.

So whether its for a Galentine’s Night with the girls, Valentine’s meal or a special date night the Italian passion for food shines at this restaurant.

The restaurant has a cosmopolitan atmosphere with its pale blue décor and comfortable seating and well choreographed tables. This is the place for being pampered at any time.

The menu has so many delicious dishes its hard to decide on what you are going to eat. They all sound so tempting. We chose from the Staples of Naples Street Food section for our Antipasti.

My Polpettine Di Melanzane was a great choice. The crispy aubergine and smoked provola fritters came in a smooth and tasty San Marzano tomato sauce laced with fresh basil. This was a huge portion for a starter but so delicious I managed to eat it all.

Panzarotti Formaggio was one of the new dishes and my colleague was over the moon with it. The potato and Parmesan croquette had a lovely soft light filling and a crispy coating whilst grated Pecorino Romano on top gave it extra flavour.

For main course my colleague chose from the Staples of Naples Pizza Napolitana Section. The Calzone Napoletano had a rich filling of ricotta, San Marzano tomato, mozzarella and salami Napoli which was plentiful and spicy. But it was their exclusive amazingly light own ‘biga’ dough created by their own master baker that gave an ultra special taste to this dish making it as light as air yet so tasty

I opted for another new menu dish Cotoletta Di Pollo. This again was a very large portion. The crispy fried chicken breast was moist and very tender and the Parmesan bread crumbs gave a new dimension to the fried chicken coupled with the topping of Palma ham. Add to this a home made and rich slow cooked tomato sauce this was a dish to savour.

We shared a side of Rucola E Pecorino – a rocket and Pecorino salad. It was spicy and refreshing with the balsamic dressing giving it an extra tang.

Dolci – the desserts are a must at Riva Blu. New on the menu Semifreddo and I just couldn’t resist it. When it arrived it was so beautifully presented I didn’t want to put my spoon into it.

The chocolate and amaretto iced parfait was coated in white chocolate, sprinkled with hazelnut brittle and decorated with Amarena cherries and the plate drizzled with cherry molasses giving a delicious contrast of taste. This is a great one for sharing.

My colleague opted for Tiramisu. This was light but had all the right appeal. The sponge was light and soaked in amaretto and sprinkled with a very generous dusting of cocoa powder. Easily the best Tiramisu in town!

Riva Blu certainly upholds the Italian tradition of serving what is certainly ‘the food of love’ .

Riva Blu is offering a special Valentine’s Menu with specially chosen exclusive dishes and cocktails until Sunday 16^th February.