River Cafe London: Thirty Years of Recipes and the Story of a Much-Loved Restaurant: A Cookbook

by Ruth Rogers

A stunning Italian cookbook collecting 120 recipes from the legendary restaurant that sets “the benchmark for Italian food outside of Italy" (Eater). At the River Cafe in London, Ruth Rogers and her co-founder, Rose Gray, helped to shape the way we eat, trained a new generation of chefs, and, with their best-selling cookbooks, transformed the way we prepare Italian food at home. Now, with River Cafe London, Ruth and her restaurant’s head chefs, Joseph Trivelli and Sian Wyn Owen, invite you to join them in marking thirty years of memories and good food—the simple, high-quality Italian cooking that River Cafe has been providing since 1987. Here are 120 recipes for incomparable antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni, and dolci—both revised and updated favorites from Ruth and Rose’s first cookbook, as well as thirty new classics from their menus Ravioli with Ricotta, Raw Tomato, and Basil; Spaghetti with Lemon; Risotto Nero with Swiss Chard; Pork Braised with Vinegar; and, of course, their famous Chocolate Nemesis cake. River Cafe London also incorporates Ruth’s memories of the restaurant’s storied history and of its unseen archive images; careful cooking tips and hand-drawn illustrations; new photography by Jean Pigozzi and Matthew Donaldson; and bespoke menu designs from the restaurant’s many artist friends. This beautiful cookbook encapsulates the essence of the restaurant and its food—and is a must-have for all food lovers to cook from time and again.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2018

About the author

Ruth Rogers, Baroness Rogers of Riverside, CBE, is an American and British chef, renowned for owning and running the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant The River Café in Hammersmith, London. Born Ruth Elias in upstate New York, she grew up in a politically active household and was influenced by her parents’ left-wing politics. She attended Colorado Rocky Mountain School and later studied design at the London College of Printing.
In 1969, she met architect Richard Rogers, marrying him in 1973 after his divorce. They spent time in Paris and Italy, where Rogers' work and the culinary culture inspired her love for seasonality in cooking. In 1987, Ruth and her partner Rose Gray opened The River Café, which became known for its authentic Italian cuisine. The restaurant, designed by her husband, gained significant acclaim, and its cookbooks became best-sellers. It has also trained celebrated chefs like Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
After Gray’s death in 2010, Rogers continued to run the restaurant, maintaining its prestigious Michelin star. Her work has earned her multiple honors, including a CBE in 2020 for services to the culinary arts and charity.

Reviews

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made a few recipes in here, the vegetable and pasta dishes primarily, and they were simple and good. I enjoyed reading about the history and inside stories of the River Cafe. The meat dishes were just a bit overly complex for my home kitchen, and the dessert dishes, while they looked indulgent, were written to feed a party of two dozen people. Even so, the book is lovingly written and gorgeously photographed. It’s not simply “put together,” but crafted to be a tactile reading experience and an emotional historical journey. Even the dishes I would never make are a pleasure to read about. But I really, really do wish those ice cream recipes were designed for the 2-quart ice cream maker and not the larger restaurant size. Starting off with 11 cups of heavy cream is a bit much...

[Ietrio · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume is a very cute gift for the loyal patrons of the said restaurant. Otherwise dull and unoriginal.

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The food was very yummy, but the recipes leave out many key details.

[Peggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would it have killed them to use a bigger font, and not leave so much white space on every page? This book was barely legible.

[Margery Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i would so like to eat here. the tale of the restaurant is inspiring

[Madison B]

Pretty book but I'm not sure how many recipes I would make. I have a few I am going to try. If I ever get an ice cream machine there are tons of recipes for that

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I'm not familiar with this particular River Cafe and on first blush a lot of the recipes seemed a little on the posher side for me, both in taste and ability. But in reading more closely the recipes are not necessarily as complicated as I first thought and I've tabbed quite a few for testing including ricotta al forno (basically a cheese souffle), risotto with procini and girolles, marinated grilled lamb and various courgette recipes (not to mention an amazing slow cooked tomato sauce recipe). This book also includes a bit of background and history to the Cafe and how its changed over the years, including its changing menus as well as some stunning photos of the Cafe both then and now and of the action behind the scenes.

[Bethany Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first cookbook to ever make me cry. The essays are poignant, the artwork lovely, and the recipes unparalleled.