Wanderlust & Life: Gastronomy: The River Café

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Gastronomy: The River Café - Issy-les-Moulineaux

La Rentrée is almost upon us yet again, which means the restaurants are reopening, the local boulangeries are reverting to their normal hours, and the streets are once again bustling as people prepare for their start of yet another year post their summer holidays.
It has been a pleasure during the last couple of weeks being able to just turn up at restaurants - for those that remained open - and get a table. The River Café was one such treat. We made reservations, but on arrival it was clear that there was no real need to have bothered. The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived but but the time we left, the tables had filled up substantially.
It's out of the way - it was my first foray into Issy-les-Moulineaux - but well worth the trip out there.

The service was exemplary, I have to comment on this because it was the kind of professional service
that one gets from five-star establishments. But despite this it caters very much to the whole family, so there's an elegant but family-friendly air about it.

The restaurant in on a boat - which on a clear evening will have you bobbing on the Seine, giving that Mediterranean feel, whilst jazz music plays in the background. Friday evenings are Jazz evenings, and the Piano Bar has live music on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings.
There are animateurs for younger children on Saturdays and Sundays, and the staff really goes out their way to make young diners feel equally as comfortable. My son's menu came with a set of colouring pencils, and his meal was rounded off with a small gift.

The food was outstanding. Very healthy. All our orders were served up with steamed crispy vegetables, but you are still free to order the starchy sides if you wish. I started with a marinated beef carpaccio, and my husband had the fried foie de canard -duck liver with baked figs and a balsamic reduction.
Grilled sole, duck in an orange sauce, mustard-coated salmon, and shredded lamb followed - all served up with their varying greens. We cleaned our plates! The kids rounded off their meals with the crème brûlée whilst we finished off our coffees.

The River Café is the ideal place for sundowners also - they have tables outside and a bar that seems fitted for just that. Maybe we'll return for one of their jazz evenings while the evenings are still long and warm. Their website recommends that you make reservations during their busier months.