Riva

Introduction: On the Marina at St.Kilda this is a beaut setting particularly on a warm summer night
Ambience: Very open with increasingly louder music as the night passes. A bistro/cafe style bare wooden tables many with views across St.Kilda or the bay
Service: Our waitress was well informed but aggresive in style
Food: Surprised me with its quality which was better than I expected. The entrees are substantial. The pork belly and duck stack a small meal. Despite explicit explanation of what warm blue means and a promise to return the dish if overcooked the less than tender porterhouse steak came back medium rare. A second attempt was rare but I resisted the temptation to send it back again. The linguini marinara was excellent with good taste and lots of seafood - salmon, prawns, mussels, calamari and wimpy's
Wine: A small and very ordinary list.
Price: Seems to be about average these days. $45 per head
Comments; Reasonably good food. in an unsophisticated place with considerable potential
Score: 13/20