Riva Blu Liverpool: A taste of the Amalfi Coast in the heart of the city

With the sun blazing in the sky and temperatures peaking at their hottest this year, a menu that promises to transport diners to the south of Italy by combining the glamour of the Amalfi Coast with the edge of Naples is hard to resist.

The new summer dishes at Riva Blu Italian Restaurant & Bar in Liverpool claim to do just that. I went in to investigate on a balmy lunchtime in the city centre and certainly wasn’t disappointed by the hearty helpings and excellent service from the largely Italian staff.

Located on the corner of Castle Street and Water Street, the pavement terrace at Riva Blu is often alive with alfresco dinners and is also the perfect spot to people watch.

After a warm welcome, I was guided along with my dining partner to a window seat, which also had a great view of the chefs in the open kitchen and the lemon trees and flowers adorning the central bar.

The large and airy dining area furnished with seating clad in azure blue offered a striking contrast with the industrial ceiling with exposed vents and piping. We were off to a good start.

My partner has a gluten free diet and this often proves to be limiting at restaurants. But here, we were assured that around 90% of the menu, including the pizza and pasta dishes, could be tailored to fit.

Antipasti: Diving straight into the new offerings I opted for the Tartare di Tonno, despite not being the biggest fan of raw fish. However, the yellow fin tuna melted in the mouth and the addition of fennel strips, chives and olive tapenade, with a crispy Sardinian flat bread made it just the right texture. I’m now a convert.

My dining partner opted for the classic tricolore insalata of buffalo mozzarella, heritage tomatoes, avocado and fresh basil. I’ll have to admit, it looked so good I had to steal some of that too.

Take a break: After quickly polishing off the summery starters, we were asked if we’d like to have the main courses prepared straight away or enjoy a little break. Ravenous, we opted for the former, but once the hearty portions arrived we immediately understood why we had been asked the question.

Pasta: Spaghetti alla Carbonara is my usual yardstick to judge a new Italian restaurant. I’ve consumed a plethora in numerous restaurants and it’s easy to compare the quality. However, the Paccheri al Pesto di Peperoni looked too good to turn down.

The combination of vine ripened tomatoes, burrata cream, grilled peppers, pine nuts, chili and fresh basil with al dente large tube pasta left just the right amount of heat lingering at the back of the throat. Taste over temperature. It seemed to get nicer with every fork full.

My dining partner has endured many a meal ruined by poor quality gluten free pasta but was delighted at the quality of the substitute penne in the Linguine Gamberoni - a dish of king prawns, courgette, chili and flat leaf parsley, topped with a wild red king prawn. The buttery sauce had just the right amount of kick.

Dessert: To finish the meal I went for another new offering on the menu: Babà Napoletano - a rum soaked sponge cake, with Chantilly cream and raspberries.

Rum is not the first thing that comes to mind when discussing Italian cuisine, but, as a lover of the spirit, it was time to give it a go. When the dessert arrived, it resembled an elevated cream doughnut and my fit-to-bursting gut was not sure it was the right decision.

However, the Babà Napoletano was so unexpectedly light, while the rum subtle enough to allow the other flavours to come through, that I could even have eaten another… at least my mind could.

Verdict: A wonderful experience overall. Friendly and helpful staff, a menu that can tempt you out of your comfort zone yet still offers the classics. I really enjoyed my lunchtime trip as the sun blazed down and people bustled about their business in the streets outside. I can imagine it would also be a great place for an evening meal as the lights dim, the music plays and the drinks begin to flow.