Sam's Riverside Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The quality of the food and the view make the price not excessive."
• "The fried gnocchi as main was okay, and the pavlova had meringue that was not sticky - always a sign of a good chef."
• "The lobster and crab roll again well put together - utterly fantastic taste."
• "The cauliflower soup & Bril which was delicious and recommended by the waiter."
• "The seafood in particular is superb, they serve proper cocktails, the wine list is diverse and distinctive."

Cons:

• "If you want simple or plain cooking this place isn't for you."
• "The steak served on a cold plate, fish dish overcooked."
• "The only dish we didn’t like so much was the scallops. The fruity sauce with passion fruit overwhelmed the delicate flavour of the scallops."
• "The lobster rolls were drenched in butter such that one could not taste anything but butter."
• "Our food server was disinterested in her job, a little rude, slow to serve us and got our orders wrong."

Service Quality

Pros:

• "The staff is also very nice and familiar."
• "The staff were friendly, helpful and attentive."
• "Staff were wonderfully attentive, really brilliant service."
• "The service was perfect; our servers were incredibly attentive, cheerful, and funny."
• "Superb service in a lovely environment."

Cons:

• "There was a lack of waiting staff, their level of professionalism and etiquette also falls massively short of the price point."
• "Staff were friendly although a little slow, didn't seem like they had enough people on."
• "The staff smoke regularly under our windows as we happen to live above their entrance to the kitchen area."
• "The staff were polite and full of recommendations, always love it when the staff don't just say 'everything' when you asked what's good."
• "The main server attending us seemed extremely busy and annoyed, always running around and not making us feel welcome."

Ambience and Location

Pros:

• "It's a fine restaurant, great food, lovely location right on the river in the newly developed Riverside Studios."
• "This restaurant is something of an institution in Hammersmith."
• "Next Autumn Sam's Waterside Restaurant will be opening near us in Brentford so we went to his Hammersmith Riverside one to see what to expect."
• "Great position on the river with superb food and excellent service."
• "Lovely space on the bank of the Thames, reminiscent of a New York brasserie."

Cons:

• "One of those noisy trendy places which isn't conducive to conversation."
• "The restaurant is uncomfortably noisy! It is reminiscent of the Kensington Place of the 1990s - a huge concrete box which magnifies and mixes the the many conversations to such a level that everyone has to lean close and speak even louder!"
• "This is an absolute corker: an open kitchen, a real buzz, cocktail menu to die for, and one of the most original and diverse food variety in London."
• "The restaurant staff smoke regularly under our windows as we happen to live above their entrance to the kitchen area."
• "The restaurant is in a lovely position and is modern but classy inside. The food is a real disappointment though."

Price and Value

Pros:

• "For the quality of the food and the view, the price is not excessive."
• "We enjoyed the set lunch (wine and dine) menu - great flavour combinations and very good value."
• "Price - great for the quality of food you get!"
• "The food was excellent, Michelin star level to be honest."
• "Great quality food and lovely atmosphere. Staff were attentive and looked like they were really enjoying their work with banter between them."

Cons:

• "We should have left but stayed and chose expensively from the a la carte."
• "The waiting time for service and general attentiveness is non-existent."
• "The food was good but not sure if it’s worth it based on the price and the service."
• "Very ordinary food. We ended up paying £80 a head. Vastly overpriced particularly with a menu which had little to recommend it."
• "Prices are not equivalent to the quality of dishes - dry bread, overcooked steak and the seafood didn't seem to be the freshest."