Riverview Hotel, Balmain

The Riverview Hotel is very popular with the locals for a few drinks, food and atmosphere. For a taste of posh as well, you can opt to dine in their restaurant upstairs.
As I enter the Riverview Hotel, the pub downstairs is buzzing full of locals for a sneaky drink on a Sunday night. On this Sunday night, I decide to check out their restaurant for a slightly more posh experience. As I enter upstairs, I see giant cutlery on the wall which makes me giggle. Foodies get a kick out of random things.

The restaurant upstairs is quite dark and intimate, perfect for a date. For entree, I ordered the Zucchini Flowers ($17) with smoked ricotta, pepper relish and olive crumble. The Zucchini Flowers are served in a portion of 2 for the entree and have many different levels of textures. I especially enjoyed the olive crumble which provided that extra hard crunch which contrasts well with the ricotta and the soft crumbed Zucchini flower.

For main, I ordered the Sunday Roast. FYI - I visited the Riverview Hotel towards the end of winter so this meal is not on their Spring menu. The Sunday Roast was a nice warm meal on a Sunday night with your traditional yorkshire pudding, roast beef, potatoes, peas, pumpkin spread and cranberry sauce. There is also a touch of gravy to add to the moisture. It looks a bit more posh but not as generous compared to the Our Place on Darling version of the Sunday Roast. 

I also had the Palmer Island Mulloway with sweet corn puree, basil gnocchi, peas and king crab (below, $33). I loved the basil gnocchi and thought this complemented the fish very well. A very executed dish with lots of textures, tastes and enough sauce!

For dessert, I had the rhubarb crumble (deconstructed with ice cream). It was nice and warm with lots of textures but I was hoping for the experience where you initially bite into something hard and get pleasantly surprised with the hot filling like you would with a traditional rhuburb crumble or apple pie. The deconstruction of the rhubarb crumble was still nice but it just didn't hit the spot.

The bread and butter pudding was similarly served up with a modern twist. I poured the custard over the buttered bread. A simple twist on the traditional bread and butter pudding but I wanted the original!

Prices: This one is in the entertainment book so bring your voucher. $80ish per person

Location: 29 Birchgrove rd, Balmain

Summary: Lisa's Rating: 

Food: 7/10 for a bit posh dining
Customer Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Value: 7/10