Ruth and Richard Rogers opened The River Café in Hammersmith over 30 years ago and it has since become regarded as one of London's finest restaurants and most famous Italians. Tables at the waterside restaurant are still to this day some of the most desirable in London. So, the owners have now taken the decision to expand and open a brand-new restaurant called Sylvia's next door to the original.
Named after Ruth Rogers' mother, Sylvia's is based in the ex-meeting rooms of her husband's architectural practice on Hammersmith's River Walk and therefore also benefits from stunning views across the Thames. To add to an already romantic ambience, the soundtrack at Sylvia's consists of live piano music which will tinkle away in the background throughout your meal.
When it comes to the food menu, you can expect a similar style to the River Café's famous offering, apart from prices are noticeably lower. Following the classic Italian format of antipasti, primi, secondi and dolci, the set menu has been cleverly kept below the £60 mark, predominantly by serving only vegetarian main courses. One thing you can be sure of is that Sylvia’s menu will feature pasta dishes a plenty alongside many favourites from The River Café’s menu.
The drink menu is also an important part of Sylvia’s offering and it boasts a very similar but fantastic wine list to its older sibling next door. This means that you can expect an extensive selection of bottles from all of Italy’s most famous wine-making regions, as well as some more unusual numbers.
Over the years, it’s been notoriously difficult to secure a table at The River Café, particularly during the summer thanks to its famous terrace. However, Sylvia’s now provides another way of trying Rogers’ wonderful food, with the added bonus that it won’t break the bank to do so.