Riverstation Bristol

We decided to go to Riverstation in Bristol to celebrate a special birthday on Monday 2nd April. We had heard lots of good things from friends and the website looked great so we made a booking, letting them know of the birthday and requesting a special table. We were not disappointed, the staff on arrival were very friendly and professional and we were seated at a lovely table with a great view of the river. 

We ordered Kir Royale to start the evening which came promptly and was expertly made with Tattinger Champagne. We were offered fresh bread while we perused the menu, the fennel seed and raisin was great and was served with delicious French butter. The menu changes daily and has a large selection for each course. We found it very hard to choose, but eventually decided on the following to start:

Salad of cured air dried duck with beetroot jelly, rocket and manchego

The salad was fresh and light with only a subtle taste of beetroot in the jelly which was great as neither of us really like beetroot!The duck was delicious and tender with a beautiful smokey flavour and the manchego cut through the richness of the duck perfectly.

Seared scallops, enoki mushrooms and pak choy, sesame rice tuille and soy syrup

The scallops were huge, juicy and cooked to perfection. The dressing was sticky and sweet which was great with the caramelised scallops. The bitterness from the pak choy balanced with the sweetness of the syrup.

We also both thoroughly enjoyed a glass of the 2010 Rosé de Triennes, made from pure Cinsault grape, it tasted clean and fresh and had just enough acidity to complement both of our starters.

 We then argued about our mains until we came to an agreement that we would share both choices, they were:

Pan fried sea bass fillet, pearl cous cous, fennel and pomegranate salad and salsa rossa

The sea bass was moist with a crispy skin and the salad of fennel and pomegranate was really light and crisp which went exceptionally well with the rich fillets of bass. The texture of the pearl cous cous was great and it had only been lightly dressed which meant it tasted really clean and fresh.The fennel had been shown a lot of love and marinated in lemon juice and parsley and the pomegranate provided bursts of acidity with every mouthful. 

Slow cooked shoulder 'noisette' of lamb, macaroni cheese, curly kale, green sauce

The lamb was so soft that when you cut into it, it just fell apart. It had been clearly cooked for a long time and was full of rich flavour which contrasted beautifully with the "green sauce" which was cold and fresh consisting of mint and parsley. The macaroni cheese was amazing and really made you feel like you were eating your Mum's home cooked roast dinner, an incredible feeling to create in a restaurant and a very brave move by the chef as it could have gone either way. The kale was wonderfully bitter and was a great break in the richness of the delicious jus.

With the main course we drank a delicious bottle of 2009 Akarua Pinot Noir from Central Otago in New Zealand. The wine was soft with upfront cherry character and beautiful silky tannins, it was great with both meals, rich enough to compete with the lamb but soft and light enough to balance with the sea bass.

Despite being very full, we chose a dessert each from the menu of six choices:

Chocolate st emillion with morello cherries, creme fraiche and orange tuille

The desserts were delivered and the chocolate was on a plate with happy birthday written across the top, which was a really nice touch. 

The chocolate was a rich mousse with tart cherries and slightly sour creme fraiche which cut through the richness of the chocolate.

Passion fruit pavlova with fresh berries

The pavlova was chewy and the passionfruit was a beautiful contrast with the richness of the cream.


Both desserts were delicious.


We were too full for any more drinks or coffee or tea and so we got the bill which was more than reasonable for everything we had. The service throughout the meal was attentive and professional despite the restaurant being full. We would definitely recommend Riverstation.