Let me begin by saying the food from Chef Rebecca Rohmer at Riv’K is truly delightful. It’s daring and exciting and enticing and delicious, with its surprising and thoughtful marriages of Israeli and Asian flavors. I will linger further – and in more detail – on this point in just a moment. But before I do, I have to explore another side of this restaurant that’s somewhat less laudable: It is not a comfortable place in which to dine.
On a recent visit, we took advantage of Meg Zimbeck’s experience and expertise and forewent the too-early and too-late reservation times offered online in favor of a phone call to secure an 8pm booking. We turned up to face off with an unfriendly face haunting the doorway, more bouncer than server (not the last brush with an unpleasantly clubby vibe) blocking the way into the small, relatively empty dining room.
Once we’d (somehow) passed muster, we were led to a high table with high stools in the center of the restaurant, in lieu of the banquettes lining the rest of the beautiful room. For our bags, we were offered dangling clips that were meant to cling to the table with the weight of a purse. They did not stay put and left us to clamber on and off our high stools and finally stow our bags beneath the tiny table. We turned our attention to the QR code menu, or tried to: Cell service in the restaurant being woefully patchy, it took forever to load, and we were left to the silent stares of the staff, the booming, club-like music making it difficult to sustain a conversation. I felt old beyond my 35 years as I wished for a paper menu and a few fewer decibels, and as the meal progressed, I would also wish for service that was a bit more informed and a bit warmer, not to mention a bit louder.
I shall now stop complaining about the music and turn my attention to the high point of the evening: the food.
Oh, the food.
A bread service of spiced brioche and muffin – both freshly baked in-house – was a delicious way to begin (and both were delightful dragged through black chickpea hummus topped with nori and tempura-battered tofu.)
Kung pao cauliflower offered the perfect blend of sweet and spice – and while certainly rich, it had a nice freshness to it, too. I think I had expected the cauliflower to come with a deep-fried crust, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the crucifer was left to stand up to the sauce on its own two feat – a feat it managed wonderfully.
Teriyaki-glazed salmon was perfectly cooked and seasoned with dukkah.
It came with its own small bowl of rich nikitouches, a pasta cooked like a risotto with the brightness of yuzu. (That the sides were served in accompanying bowls only served to magnify just how small the table was, but I digress.)
Chicken schnitzel with spiced satay was mindblowingly good: sweet, savory, and spicy.
The side of whipped mashed potatoes was pleasant in hearkening to more European iterations of the breaded chicken dish, and it was indeed ethereal and rich, but ultimately, it paled in comparison to the other offerings.
The wine list offered an intriguing blend of French and Israeli wines. We sampled some of both, and when the well ran dry on one delicious Galilean offering, our server offered to serve a usually bottle-only Viognier in its stead.
Dessert was a no-brainer: Riv’K is already known for its stunning French toast with a variety of toppings. Hesitating between two before finding that one was unavailable, we settled easily on this behemoth of a pistachio-topped, orange blossom-spiked slab and managed to finish it despite its richness (and our server’s over-eagerness to whisk it away…)
When the time came to pay, we were presented with this cotton candy mignardise – a unique end to the meal, the significance of which our server muttered twice before I finally managed to get her to slow down and speak up enough so that I could understand that the cloud was meant to represent purity, and the fish, life.
It’s hard to know whether I can recommend Riv’K. On the pro side, it’s in a neighborhood I love but don’t frequently dine in, given the dearth of great choices. The food is phenomenal; Chef Rohmer is supremely talented. And the décor of the restaurant is fun and festive, with avant-garde choices in glass and flatware that suit the vibe of the space.
That said, the clubby atmosphere and ho-hum service makes it hard for me to feel confident recommending it. If you go, I hope you’ll cast a blind eye to these few negatives and let the food dictate your experience. If you do, I have every confidence you’ll fall in love.
Riv’K – 35 Rue Véron, 75018