Daily Times

So many restaurants, eateries, cafes and takeaways have shut down in Lahore in the last one year, claiming to bring in foreign delicacies like Spanish,
Italian, Thai, Caribbean and Mediterranean food.

Their creative heads have failed in fusing foreign cuisine’s taste with that of Pakistani, have failed to set a competitive price for traditional food loving Lahoris and have also failed to reinvent their menu according to the changing seasons. Another underlying reason is failure to maintain quality and standard of not just the food but hygiene as well. These reasons are enough for any restaurant to take a complete nosedive and bid adieu to the market.

But lessons are never learnt in the food business or so it seems. These same mistakes are being adopted by a plethora of other restaurants and it breaks our hearts to see the ones with massive potential go down. Is it lack of funds? Laziness to curate or mere relaxation and over confidence? Whatever it is, Lahoris cannot be bothered as the competition is rife and we are seeing so many new ones popping up in this beast of a market which is highly unforgiving.

We do not care about your fancy premises, your Queen Anne crockery, your lush furniture or even your suited maitre d’s if that’s what you want to impress us with. If your food is bad, it’s bad. We are not coming back again

One such is Rivoli. Nestled in Y Block, DHA, Rivoli did not quite create a stir at first. After all, it was rubbing shoulders with culinary greats such as Rina’s Kitchenette, Wasabi and Cosa Nostra. Not until late, the creative team got together and presented a unique demonstration of a hi-platter for two. We tried it, and here’s what we think about it.

STRENGTHS – let us admit, we don’t care about your fancy premises, your Queen Anne crockery, your lush furniture or even your suited maitre d’s if that’s what you want to impress us with. If your food is bad, it’s bad. We are not coming back again. Job well done, Rivoli – the hi-tea platter serving two, is the best one we’ve had in a long time, at least in Lahore. It serves salad, fettuccine Alfredo pasta,  Buffalo wings, beef sliders, fried fish fillets, chicken panini sandwich and lots of French fries. For desserts, there is a chocolate mousse delicacy along with a lemon pudding. It’s not the variety we are smitten with but the care and precision with which each one of these has been prepared warmed our hearts. There is no specific item that supersedes the other; all these are meticulously prepared with a rich and warm flavour that instantly tantalises your tastebuds. Did we mention the mint margarita for drinks?

Other than the flavour, it’s the price that sets our heart soaring. It’s Rs 1,250 and it serves two people. We’ve paid double the amounts for not even half the taste during hi-teas and Rivoli holds its ground with this one.

We do know this isn’t a prerequisite for a scrumptious meal, but this still is Rivoli’s point scoring feature. All these items are displayed, presented and served on a long, wooden slab. It’s unique, distinct and truly Rivoli signature.

WEAKNESSES – as fresh, delectable, affordable and unique in style this hi-tea platter is, it really takes its time to arrive. One has to wait for at least 30 to 35 minutes for the platter. Of course, this adds to the fact of how freshly it is prepared, but a little bit of swiftness won’t harm nobody!

The creative team behind Rivoli should not rely on word-of-mouth for such a rare package. A meal like this should be celebrated, made popular and taken immense pride in. Marketing needs to be stepped up for sure and this is where they lack.

Published in Daily Times, November  7^th 2018.