Bistro Night At The Cool River Cafe In Matlock
Published On Sunday 4 May 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Shockingly, it has been 9 years since The Man and I last visited Cool River Café and Patisserie in Matlock! 2016, apparently, was the date of our last visit; you could’ve knocked me down with a feather when Emily (co-owner) told me this. Back then, the venue was owned by a [lovely] chap called Phil and Chris was the Chef; now, Chris is co-owner and still does the cooking and baking to the same exacting standard as always.
Locals will know the struggle to get parked in Matlock at the weekend and/or in tourist season, so we weren’t surprised that we had no luck in the car park adjacent to Cool River Café and Patisserie. We actually ended up back in town and then walked back through Hall Leys Park to the venue – not bad at all, given the fact that it was a beautiful mid-spring evening.
Having loved the relaxed vibe of Cool River Café and Patisserie in 2016, I was so very glad to see that not much had changed, décor-wise. Warm-toned wood flooring is paired with [aptly] cool, river blue walls, and a further nod to its marine title is a rather snazzy rope and knot frame that surrounds a print mounted on the wall. My lighting fetish was well and truly satisfied by the presence of the large Perspex pendants that hang from the ceiling in bright tones of Orange, Green and Blue.
Differentiating between the daytime café service and creating the mood for the (monthly) evening bistro event, the dark wood tables were set with a duck egg blue runner, fresh flowers in a vase and a sculpted glass holder that housed a flickering tea light. A very polite member of the serving team got us sorted with drinks (glass of Shiraz for me, Sauvignon Blanc for His Nibs) and then Emily came over a couple of minutes later with a board of Chris’s homemade Focaccia and pats of Caramelised Onion Butter topped with crispy Onions to get our meal off to a tasty start.
The Focaccia was gorgeously warm and the butter melted into the holes in the loaves’ fabric, releasing its rich aroma as it did so. Both The Man and I savoured the mingling of the herbs and Olive oil in the bread with the sweeter, earthier taste of the Caramelised Onion butter; this was a nicely balanced ‘nibble’, and certainly had us looking forward to the rest of the meal!
For starter, Chef served Asparagus Velouté with Parmentier Potato and Quail’s Egg: if a dish shouted ‘spring’, this was it. The main body was a beautiful pastel green (enhanced by a bolder, verdant Parsley oil, that tasted amazing), and within it were tiny cubes of seasoned Potato that were gently nutty in the mouth. Showcasing his talent in a quietly confident way, Chris had cut the Asparagus stalks across and wrapped each segment in dark Nori seaweed, resulting in a visual piece that resembled a cross-sectioned bulb of Garlic. Tasty and eye-catching. Perched on the Asparagus was a dinky, perfectly poached Quail egg that, when cut into, released a rich golden yolk into the velouté ‘sea’. Well, it did on my plate: His Nibs popped the entire egg into his mouth to eat, grinning like a loon at me as the creamy texture coursed through his mouth and over his tongue – honestly, he’s such a kid at times! This was a marvellous starter that didn’t sit heavy on the tummy, but certainly ticked all the flavour boxes.
For main course was a Pancetta-wrapped Pork Tenderloin, with Pomme Anna, Apple Purée and Cider sauce, accompanied by shredded Spring Greens and Honey-roast Carrot. The soft, creamy Pork contrasted fantastically with the tangy salt notes of the thin Pancetta blanket that contained it into a cylinder. Butter-glossed Spring greens still had a crunch to them and a gorgeously bright, grassy flavour that popped on the palate when paired with the gloriously sweet, honeyed Carrot. I was pleased to discover that the Apple purée wasn’t overly sweetened as, personally, I love the sharpness of fruit to shine through when it’s served with meat. Continuing the orchard fruit theme was a superbly unctuous, Cider-zhuzhed sauce that I could quite happily have dunked some of Chris’s fresh bread into to get the last scraps of it into my mouth.
As a complete spudaholic, His Nibs was utterly smitten by the Pommes Anna! Impossibly thinly sliced Potatoes were layered with butter and then baked until their inners were irresistibly soft and their outers tantalisingly golden. That first mouthful, I have to admit, was total perfection; the seasoning was spot-on and the texture was sublime – if I had to eat this for the rest of my lifetime, let’s just say that I would be praying for a long life.
By now, our senses were [happily] reeling from the plethora of stunning tastes and textures that we had savoured, so we were glad to have a Watermelon Granita as entremets (aka palate cleanser). Sometimes, a sorbet is served to cleanse the palate and this has a smoother, creamier texture than a granita due to the ice crystals within it being smaller; however, I think Chris had got the grainy character of the Watermelon captured perfectly with the coarser, gritty texture of the Granita. And, yes, it tasted just as if you were eating actual Watermelon in frozen form…just without the seeds or rind! This was the perfect ‘reset’ course; fresh, simple and delicious.
Completing the bistro evening was a Lemon Meringue Tart with Rhubarb Mousse; no need to say that I was more than a little giddy with excitement to spy Rhubarb in the description – I love the stuff! The pastry on the individual, flute-edged tart was buttery and silky in the mouth, and firm enough not to crumble when cut, or disintegrate into a million crumbs either. Each piped swirl of meringue on the periphery had had its ridges blowtorch scorched a deep nut-brown colour, and that tantalising charred hint was set off fantastically by the sweetness of the Meringue. What really intrigued us both, though, was the fact that, on their own, each Fruit [Lemon and Rhubarb] was face-scrunching in its tart sharpness, but together they were all together more subtle and refined. What wizardry is this, Chef??!!
All that remained was to enjoy our squares of Chocolate Marshmallow (this particular evening’s Petit Fours) with our Caféology coffees. As with so many other elements in his dishes, Chris hadn’t overly sweetened the marshmallow, so the cocoa taste shone nicely on the palate. As with the rest of the menu, the coffee was top-notch; we are rather partial to a ‘proper’ coffee, and this was really flavoursome; full and rich, but not bitter.
Throughout our evening, the service from all the team had been excellent and obviously the food has spoken for itself! Each table was occupied by smiling people and the chatter was punctuated with laughter – clearly, we weren’t alone in having a wonderful time. The focus at Cool River Café and Patisserie is firmly on top quality food, drink and service, and I have no hesitation in awarding Hot Wings to this incredible Matlock venue.
Breakfasts are popular, especially the breakfast Ciabatta rolls, and breads and pastries are available to purchase and take away. There is a section at the rear of the seating area, the Book Hub, that has a selection of new books to buy, and I can’t think of a nicer place to sit with a drink (and maybe a cake!) and have a relaxing read. Cool River Café and Patisserie is closed on Monday, then open Tuesday-Sunday from 9.30am-4pm, and then obviously, later into the night for the monthly bistro evenings, which are priced at £55 per person, with a £5 deposit pp being required at time of booking. Chris and Emily also offer Outside Catering and private Cheffing, so if you need details on those (or anything Cool River!) please call 01629 580467. You can visit the website www.coolrivercafe.co.uk to discover more, as well.
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