Riva is one of Jakarta’s best loved French eateries and has a long and illustrious pedigree. We thought we’d pay a return visit to this supinely romantic little bistro and bar this month, as there is a new chef in town. Renaud Le Rasle is Riva’s brand new Chef de Cuisine and hopes to bring an original twist to Riva’s classic French fi ne dining experience.

If you’re unfamiliar with Riva, then rest assured that it’s the perfect venue for a romantic meal for two. Inside, the restaurant has a mellow, softly lit ambiance. There’s a small bar near the entrance and dark, varnished woods predominate, lending the main dining area a time honoured, European feel. There’s also an open kitchen with a wood fi red oven and private rooms are available for booking.

The Riva menu is modest in size, however this is more often than not a good sign in a restaurant, as it means that what dishes are on offer will usually be of a decent quality. And of a decent quality they indeed are here. A meal at Riva doesn’t come particularly cheap, however its quality will be straight out of the top drawer. Riva’s signature starter, the Riva Gourmet Salad, is a particularly fine way to get proceedings underway and consists of foie gras, Alaskan king crab, duck aiguilette, tuna sashimi, quails eggs, marinated artichoke, dried tomato, mesclun lettuce and red wine vinaigrette (Rp.128,000 or Rp.228,000).

After that, we decided to plump for the Grilled Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Green Asparagus and Tomato Confi t, which was immaculately presented and came with a mini pot of super creamy Pomme Mousseline mashed potatoes (Rp.595,000). The high-quality beef was as tender as the night and Renaud’s superbly creative use of salt, pepper and spices really manifested a cornucopia of evocative flavours on the palate.

Some devilish deserts are also on hand down at Riva, as well as plenty of quality imported cheeses, including Roquefort, Morbier and Pyrenee. There’s RIVA ROMANCE a full wine list, which includes bottles from all over the globe but which, naturally, focuses on fabulous French vintages, such as those from Bourgogne, the Loire Valley, Alsace and Bordeaux. And fi nally, why not round off your meal with a cup of fi ne Coffee Luwak, which made a brief appearance in a recent movie that I watched. In the fi lm, Morgan Freeman explains to Jack Nicholson the infamous Luwak process. “What! You’re sh***ing me!” exclaims a horrifi ed Jack. “Nope’” says Morgan, “The cats beat me to it!”