Sweet Somethings #2

The River Café, Shrinking, Paris recommendations

I’d like to end October with a selection of sweet somethings — just as I ended September. Today: musings on The River Café (a restaurant in London) and Shrinking (the television show), and a handful of Paris recommendations (some old, some new). 

The River Café

At the end of our Europe trip, I had the honor of dining at The River Café in London with Teo’s family. I’d dreamt of visiting The River Café since I first heard about it many years ago, so it was truly exciting to eat there at last. For those unfamiliar, The River Cafe is a celebrated restaurant in West London, known for its hyper-seasonal, high-end Italian food. Opened in 1987, it has become famous for its radically simple, stylish cuisine, exemplary service, and reputation as a launching point for many renowned chefs.

The restaurant was co-owned and run by Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray until Gray’s death in 2010; since then, Rogers has continued to lead it alone. She was working the night we dined there, lingering at the pass, assessing the quality of the plates, and periodically floating through the dining room to check on guests, pausing to greet beloved regulars and newcomers like us. At the end of the evening, I took a photo from outside the restaurant of the famous hot pink oven, designed (along with the rest of the space) by Ruth’s late husband, architect Richard Rogers. Only afterward did I realize Ruth herself was in the frame, leaning over the pass in her crisp whites.

The restaurant with the hot pink oven! (+ Ruth Rogers)

The food was, of course, excellent. My favorite bites included the puntarelle with anchovy-garlic vinaigrette, the pumpkin and sage butter pasta, another pasta with slow-cooked tomato sauce, the rib-eye with fresh horseradish and chanterelles, and the mouth-puckering lemon tart. Fresh, restrained, elegant cooking. I now feel inspired to collect the cookbooks (there are many!).

Puntarelle, tomato pasta

Shrinking

The funniest, sweetest show is back for Season 2 on Apple TV+! Jason Segel stars as a grieving therapist struggling to move on with his life after his wife’s death — while also helping patients with their own struggles. In his grief, he begins breaking the rules of therapy, telling his patients exactly what he thinks, which unsurprisingly has varying degrees of success. I love this show, and I especially love Jessica Williams, who plays fellow therapist named Gaby with the utmost warmth and compassion. 

Paris recommendations

I need to spend more time eating my way through Paris before I’m ready to publish a guide like this one for Rome, but here are a few recommendations, some old and some from my latest trip.

• Mamiche: Popular, modern bakery with treats like chocolate babka and cinnamon buns, as well as sandwiches and toasties. All exceedingly delicious. 

• Chez Elo: A charming sandwicherie (is that a word?) where I ate an applause-worthy sandwich: ham, comté, caramelized onions, salted butter, and baby spinach on hearty levain bread. 

  

  Paris at sunset

• Au Passage: Bustling restaurant with natural wine and a playful food menu that changes often. The interiors are slightly worn out — in a way that doesn’t look shabby but rather reflects how many good times have been had there.

• Kunitoraya: Hip canteen with well-executed udon, tempura, and rice bowls. Perfect for a solo meal. 

  

  Kunitoraya

• La Buvette: An inspiration! Woman-owned, quirky wine bar with an irresistible list of snacks. On this visit, we ordered the saucisson sec and the burrata with mandarin powder, olive oil, and salt to go with our chenin blanc.

  

  La Buvette

• I/O Cafe: Small, minimalistic bar that serves fresh croissants and excellent coffee in ceramic cups. (Shoutout to Caitlin for telling me about this place!)

Thank you for being here. More soon!

x Phoebe