Rivea — Restaurant in Mumbai

Where hospitality is taken to a new-level

My fourth visit to this French / Mediterranean restaurant was filled with fantastic delights, crafted dishes, amazing interactions, and sweet surprises throughout the dinner.

We were warmly welcomed at the restaurant by head chef, Mr Minocha, who named a few specialities and why they deserved consideration, and wow! -- all of them were outstanding; more on that, later. In a few minutes of our arrival, we were served complimentary kiwi mocktails, which had a high-powered soda and were mildly sweet; it didn't take long for the team to catch our taste buds for mocktails. We ordered a blueberry-based mocktail and a mango lassi, and both were authentic. The former was reasonably sweet with a significant amount of fruit % made with medium-power soda, whilst the latter had a rich % of alphonso mango [ and not concentrate ] content, unlike other same-level places where mango lassi is likely to have more of concentrate and yoghurt %.

Till the time the main course was getting ready, we were served a small plate -- Avvolto Avocado -- which was a small, soft roll containing mashed avocado with a dash of jalapeno flavour. In Pizzas, we were recommended Truffle tartufo, and gosh! The smell has started doing the talking and managed to dominate our sensations. The arugula was a skosh scratchy on the tongue, but that could easily be kept aside without affecting the taste of the pizza; it could not supersede the rich parmesan spread on the crispy layers. Next came the soups, and the chef had to do some convincing; I ain't someone who has much liking for soups. But the chef had won here; his nice smile had words written all over it. If the aroma wouldn't be all over one, then just a sip would send one in an Elysian mood. The porcini cream soup with its truffle foam, which looked like a cappuccino, was creamy and so delicious that I could keep having it.

And now came the main course -- Pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass and Lobster. The former was arguably the best I have had hitherto; A medium-sized portion served with sauteed veggies and mashed potatoes alongside, it was perfectly cooked and easy to slice that I couldn't help but scoff it quickly. If one weren't to mince for words, no words would really describe the taste; one would have to nosh it to feel it. Meanwhile, we ordered a cranberry-based mocktail, and as per our instructions, it was mildly sweet with medium-power soda; this was notable given that mocktails which are significantly or entirely cranberry-based cannot be kept away from high sweetness. And this was just another example of scrupulousness from the restaurant.

In the desserts, we were treated to a De-constructed Tiramisu, a famous Italian dish. Having a different presentation and girded by lady fingers and creme and chocolate cuts on top, it had a rich coffee texture and was brownish and spongier than the ones I have had in same-level restaurants. The size was small. The Classical-flavoured Cannoli with three flavours was a roll filled with flavoured, reasonably sweet creme, albeit one of the flavours was insipid, and possibly a change of flavours would find more takers. The chef agreed to my request to replace the original ice cream, and the chocolate ice cream [ sans almonds ] was delicious and made up for the cannolis. The size was large overall. Another off-the-menu dessert, whose name I have forgotten, which was offered to us, too, was a chocolate-based dessert whose layer was artistically molten by liquid chocolate to form a crater. It was delightful too.

Throughout our dinner, Mr Lopes and his teammates were around to ensure that our requirements were looked after, and satisfyingly so, and we were given notable suggestions from time to time; we enjoyed our chat with everyone, in particular, Mr Lopes. It was also nice to catch up with Mr Minocha earlier. I would also like to thank Mr Srinivas for personally looking into the reservation. We bid adieu to the restaurant with a nice photo with the...

This restaurant is located inside the luxurious Taj Santacruz hotel in Vile Parle, making it a convenient and upscale dining option for travelers and locals alike.

One of the highlights of our visit was the exceptionally cooperative staff. We had a specific request for Veg Biryani from Tiqri, another restaurant within the hotel, and the staff went out of their way to arrange it for us without any hesitation. What stood out even more was their sense of humor and warmth. We were joking around and lightly teasing them, but they took it all in good spirits, smiling through the interaction and making us feel at home.

Now coming to the food — we started with two different soups. One was a flavorful tomato soup, and while I don’t recall the name of the other, both were rich in taste and very well prepared. For the main course, we ordered a pizza and another dish with vegetables and red rice. Each bite was delightful and left us wanting more.

The restaurant has a pleasing seating arrangement and a calm, inviting ambience that enhances the overall experience. Even if Italian cuisine isn’t your first choice, I would still recommend visiting this place. The quality, service, and setting make it a memorable...

Beautiful Interiors well lit and spacious That’s the first thing that grabs your attention That and the open kitchen.manned by friendly smiling chefs The bread basket served was not warm and then We ordered a bruschetta platter that looked great but which was a complete disaster on the taste front! the entire platter was quite cold , I would simply say avoid this! The avocado was tasteless and the quinoa did not work for me! That said the second starter was much better! It was a succulent chicken kebab in a mango sauce! Called Pollo Rivea .. I forget the full name! Full marks for this one This was followed by A pizza portofino It’s a large 13 inch pizza generously sprinkled with prawns onions and mushrooms! This was crisp and tasty! We finished with their Deconstructed Tiramisu ... a dessert plated to resemble a chocolate mound : light and simply delicious! I wish to commend Zennin their Manager who looked after us pretty well and managed to save our dinner from the disastrous start to actually a pleasant evening ! The bill took its time coming though...so guys do work...