The River

Rating: 3

We ate lunch here in July 2024.

Lemon and cheese polenta with mushroom, spinach and sage
Roasted eggplant

The River is an upmarket pub with a nice vibe. Sitting by the fire sipping a mulled wine in the winter? Sign us up! The menu looked great, literally everything on there held appeal with the dishes appearing familiar but elevated by a little panache.

Such was the case with what we ordered. The roasted eggplant was soft, but not too smushy, and covered with tasty tidbits that gave good texture variety. Perhaps the flavours could have been bolder, but overall it was pretty well done.

We’re always excited to see polenta on a menu, and double excited if they’ve stretched beyond polenta chips. This polenta was moulded into a brick then topped with well-cooked mushrooms in a good ratio with the spinach. A little crispness would have been a welcome addition.