Having two restaurants in a hotel must sometimes be the equivalent of having two sheriffs in town: is the hotel big enough for the both of them? In the case of The Savoy, all the fuss and furore tends to gravitate around Ramsay’s Savoy Grill at the front of the building, leaving the River Restaurant to go about its business in a slick yet unfussy way. Just how the regulars have always liked it.

The Venue
For mere mortals, a trip to The Savoy is an occasion, a memory to be savoured and an extravagance that is likely to put a big dent in your bank balance. Since its long and protracted refurb, it’s been open for around one year now and it’s rightfully assumed its position as the most famous hotel in London. With Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill by the front entrance, the River Restaurant is tucked away at the Thames-end of the building and to get here you’ll need to navigate your way through the art deco splendour of the lobby, head past the artisan chocolatier and jewellery shops, before descending down into the hugely popular afternoon tea area with its stunning gun-metal grey garden gazebo. Carry on through and you’ll enter into the River Restaurant, a T-shaped dining room with the wider part to the very rear. In this section mirrored walls and glassy pillars create a sense of space and windows allow views out towards the Thames during daylight hours. Cream and beige tones, rigid white tablecloths, oil paintings on the walls and vases of fresh white lilies all help create an elegant space.

The Atmosphere
Regulars at The Savoy have always enjoyed the River Restaurant’s charms, and it still certainly seems to pull them in. On the whole, fellow diners are well-dressed (formal attire is expected) and middle-aged, with couples and small groups most visible. International hotel residents are, of course, present too. Staff are, as you tend to find at The Savoy, well-drilled in making you feel extra-important for the evening.

The Food
Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served at the River Restaurant but most non-residents will be here in the evening. The menu is classic French fare, with a few modern embellishments thrown in for good measure.

A selection of warm bread comes first, all of which is excellent, but do watch out for the exceedingly filling walnut variety if you’ve any ambition to make it through to dessert. Following that diners are presented with an amuse bouche, which is a good chance to show off the kitchen’s talents, however an overly fishy salmon mousse paired with a malty pumpernickel bread will not be too everyone’s liking. On to the starters, which include the rare sight of a chestnut and porcini veloute with frog’s legs (£12), as well as more common options like seared scallops and beef tartar, but also two salads: the artichoke salad, and the garden root vegetable salad, both of which are crisp, crunchy, and don’t fill you up too much.

Mains offer classic Savoy dishes like the Dover sole (£36), however the breast of chicken and baked foie gras (£28) is a delicious combination, and the lamb (£31), prepared in a sous vide-style (sealed in a bag and cooked in a water bath) so it stays wonderfully tender, is another very enjoyable plate of food that’s enhanced by buttery spinach and caramelized shallots. As you can see prices are pitched at the premium-end of the scale but are to be expected at a 5-star luxury hotel.

The Drink
House champagne is Louis Roederer and costs £17 a pop. It’s offered to all diners as they sit down, even if not all of them take up the offer. It may be an extravagant way to start the sitting but it’s nonetheless a good way to go if you’re celebrating. The wine list has the potential to bamboozle anyone with just a fleeting interest in wine, so the best advice is ask the engaging sommelier for some help and he may well pick out a stupendous selection like the Familia Schroder ‘S’ Pinot Noir/Malbec from Patagonia. It arrives in a masculine bottle and is quite possibly the heaviest bottle in the world, but once it’s cracked open it will have you purring at the sheer magnificence of its smooth structure, intense oakiness and rich fruit-driven flavours. There’s also a good selection by the glass and half bottle.

The Last Word
It may not attract the headlines like the Savoy Grill but for the regulars who wine and dine their clients here, or the couples and groups who come to celebrate a special occasion, the River Restaurant is all the better for keeping a less conspicuous profile. And if there’s any hotel in London that’s grand enough to sustain two restaurants, The Savoy’s it.

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