La Riva: "La Riva" Antwerp Restaurant Tip by myriam_c

What once used to be a shelter for the Antwerp dockers, afterwards a soup kitchen for the poor, has been transformed into a luxury lounge - restaurant - bar. An all-in-one concept where service and the quality of food is of a very high level.
The new owners invested a lot to transform the unique building into the stylish monument that it once was. The mosaic flooring has been totally redone (new, but an exact copy of how it was) and the damaged flowershape forms in the ceiling have been rebuilt.

As you enter the building, there is this "WOW" feeling of being surrounded by luxury. Not only the durable materials that have been used on the floors, the walls or the ceiling but also the table setting, the comfy genuine leather chairs, the table linen, the wonderful accomodating staff. It's pure luxury as a whole.

Favorite Dish: Lounge - restaurant - bar, an all-in-one concept. As you enter the building you are welcomed by a host(ess) who is - by means of a small earphone - in contact with the staff in the lounge and the restaurant, depending from where you want to take aperitifs. We choose to have cocktails first in the lounge. Our waiter was already expecting us as we entered the lounge (all open-plan). They serve Pommery champagne here, one of the best IMO.
After our aperitifs we were lead to our table in the main restaurant downstairs. It's a fairly large space of which the ceiling goes up to the roof, except at the sides where they have a mezzanine with small balconies at all four sides of the building. There's an open-plan kitchen integrated in the main restaurant.
We ordered our entrées and main courses and had the sommelier advise us for the wines.
I can't tell you how delicious everything was, from starters upto desserts.

What did we eat?
Please have a look at the website 'cause it, being fusion cuisine, is too difficult to start to translate. Sorry!

Address: Londenstraat 52, B-2000 Antwerpen
Comparison: more expensive than average
Phone: +32 3 2250102
Price: US$41 and up
Rating: 5
Theme: Eclectic/International
Website: http://www.lariva.be