La Rive: Provencal cuisine restaurant opening in Cobham
The restaurant, which is currently in a soft launch period, comes from Simon Rand and head chef Eric Payet, the team behind The Hare and Grill in Lingfield.
La Rive’s menu will include Poached Fillet of Red Mullet in Saffron, Honey Glazed Pork Belly on the bone, Braised Endive and Chantenay Carrots, and Baked Lemon Tart.
Rand told BigHospitality that the pair are excited about the launch and displayed signs of relief that they could get started after an 18-month process.
“We’re very excited; it’s been a long time coming in terms of concept and design. It’s been a big journey and now we’re finally there,” he said.
“Now we just want to shout from the rooftops that we’re here, come and see us and we’re very confident that you’ll love our product.”
As for why they chose to operate in Cobham, Rand highlighted that they are the only independent restaurant on the high street and also revealed that the affluent surrounding area played a part.
“Cobham is a fantastic town. The area has had a huge influx of prosperity and we have a pretty big football club’s training ground just down the road so all the owners and the players all live in the area,” Rand said.
“You’re seeing small bungalows being turned into seven-bedroom mansions, it’s a very affluent town and when you walk down the high street you don’t see big brands, you see boutique shops.”
Set over a number of different eating spaces with over 140-covers, the restaurant’s design is romantic with shades of taupe, deep red, grey, white and aubergine complimenting the textures of the building’s brick, wood and stone.
Rand and Payet want to capitalise on this theme, hoping to create love and happy memories for their diners, and even host weddings.
“We want to become known as the place where any distinguished young gentleman wants to propose to his good, future lady wife,” Rand said.
“We did seven weddings here last year and we’re not even marketing ourselves as a place for weddings – our plan now is to use the photos of the couple of weddings that we’ve got planned already and to shout again.”
