This venue is now closed
Every so often you come across something/somewhere that just leaves you gobsmacked, and last night was one of those occasions. Riva at Rose Cottage in Matlock Bath has been around for donkeys years, and has always pretty much been popular (with the odd dip in fortunes). Since May this year there has been a new team in and blimey they are certainly making their mark let me tell you. The outside seating area has been revamped with new seats and tables and looks visually stunning from the kerb with its voluminous hanging baskets. The kitchen has also had a total refit and next on the list are the toilets - they are spotlessly clean let me assure you, but Jean wants to make them more modern and appealing.
When you walk in the door you immediately get that warm relaxed country pub vibe, and last night they had got the log burner running in the bar area which just added to the ambience. Straightaway we were welcomed with a cheery hello from the bar person as we went to confirm our table booking. There are several little dining areas, maybe housing 3 or 4 tables in each bit, so you have a really intimate, unhurried feel when dining which is lovely. In addition to these there is another slightly larger area that can seat about 10 people located on the other side of the pub, which means that parties can feel exclusive and other diners are not disturbed by livelier groups.
The dining tables are chunky solid wood affairs with comfy padded dining chairs to sit on and the wall art is contemporary and striking without being garish. They even have Wi-Fi for those who can’t bear to be divorced from their technology.
The menu is just flabber-gasteringly great, the choice is just breath taking. Seriously, there were so many things the Boy wonder and I could’ve chosen, and we actually changed our minds several times before making our final selections. I chose the Pan fried Scallops with Black Pudding mash and Creamed Leeks and His Nibs had the Chicken liver Parfait with Red Onion marmalade, dressed Salad and Bread. We also had some Rustic bread and dips to share.
The starters came on black slate platters and were beautifully presented. The parfait was in a mini Kilner jar and had a lovely glossy butter seal on the top. It was incredibly smooth and rich tasting, making it extremely satisfying on the palate. There was plenty of bread to smother it onto and just top with a small dollop of the sweet onion marmalade - total taste bud heaven.
My own Scallops were huge meaty beasts to say the least and had been nicely seasoned before being cooked to perfection. They were very succulent and the creamy leeks and mash were just sublime; again a really skilfully put together dish. The rustic breads included Ciabatta, White, and Multigrain farmhouse slices accompanied by a punchy Aioli and Extra virgin Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip into, and again these were very tasty.
We had a little interval (at our request) before our mains were brought to our table. I had chosen the Monkfish tail for my main course, although the Lobster Thermidor on the specials board sorely tempted me as I do love Lobster and it isn’t a dish you see often. The Man couldn’t decide between a steak, the Lasagne or the Lamb rump on the specials board, but the Lamb eventually won.
he word I chose to describe my fish was Superb, it was just absolute perfection; moist, firm, plenty of it and very tasty. The Parma ham wrapped around it was gorgeous, the tender stem broccoli had the perfect crunch to it and the Patatas Bravas were just mind-blowing with their punchy tomato and smoky paprika sauce. Even my side salad was a masterpiece of peppery, sweet and bitter leaves with olives and marinated tomatoes and crunchy bread croutons. This is without doubt the best meal I’ve had for a while. Wiz, I know you thought I was joking when I said I would kidnap your chef, but if he ever goes missing you know where to find him.
The Lamb Rump didn’t fail to deliver either; it was “tender, tasty perfection” and was a pleasing portion size too accompanied by a nicely seasoned fondant potato round. Crunchy green beans finished off the dish beautifully, and The Boy had ordered Onion rings on the side that had a wonderfully crisp batter on them. The meat is sourced locally from a supplier in Darley Dale that uses farms within a 20 mile radius, nice to see local businesses supporting each other. Throughout the evening we had been chatting to the other couple of tables in our section and without exception everyone said how much they had enjoyed their dishes and what wonderful service they had received.
Only pudding remained and it had been my original plan to have the Cheese board, purely because I absolutely love cheese and haven’t had it to finish a meal off for a while, but yet again team Riva tempted me with their other offerings and I settled on their homemade Apple and Plum crumble with custard. Wiz later told me that the Apples and Plums came from his mum’s orchard, and their taste came shining through.
What I particularly liked about my crumble was the topping itself it had been cooked to have a crunchy top layer and hadn’t been over-sweetened ,so the effect of the dish was more subtle and less cloying than a lot of the fruit crumbles served in other places. His Nibs went for the Creme Brulee which turned out to be lovely and creamy underneath a crunchy top that made me tingle with delight as I heard it crack. Unusually, it was served with mini Cinnamon-dusted yum-yums that really partnered the vanilla crème superbly and there were little swirls of fresh whipped cream (not squirty cream).
We had a couple of Lattes to draw our experience to a conclusion, but even here team Riva pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, by serving a homemade chocolate with the drinks. One of the team had whipped up these cocoa rich delights “just because”, and lucky diners had been presented with them to enjoy with their after dinner drinks. Golly, they were good. I may have to kidnap a second member of your team Jean and Wiz, sorry. All too soon, we had to fly back to the nest.
All evening there was a steady flow of diners coming and going, at one point all available tables were taken, which for a midweek night is pretty impressive. The staff were all fantastic and looked very smart in their logoed polo shirts, and nothing was too much trouble for them. All the tables were looked after really well and the servers chatted with their guests building up a lovely rapport; personal service really does make a huge difference.
If you are thinking of dining at Riva, and I can’t recommend strongly enough that you do, I would advise booking in advance even on weeknights. It isn’t often I go out on a limb and make predictions, but I can see this place becoming a “must go to” venue for foodies. Team Riva, it goes without saying that Hot Wings have definitely been awarded to you. I hope you like hot things because your wings would be Madras strength if they were graded! :) Thank you so much for inviting us to see the
