One of Hale's best-loved restaurants has been given a new look and a fresh menu - under the ownership of a local music legend turned entrepreneur.
Riva on Cecil Road has been a village favourite since 2019, and new owners who took over at the start of last year have wasted no time putting their stamp on it - with a full refit, a reimagined menu and big ambitions for what comes next.
The man behind it is Recardo Patrick - known to many as Rikki Patrick, former lead singer of Manchester band Sweet Sensation, whose 1975 number one hit Sad Sweet Dreamer charmed listeners on both sides of the Atlantic.
These days he's shareholder and chairman of Dunham Massey Investment Group, with a 17-restaurant portfolio including the Proove Pizza group in Manchester and Sheffield, Smokehouse and Cellar in Knutsford, and a stake in fashionable London restaurant Meraki.
As a Hale local, he's been a long-term fan of Riva. "I've been going there for years. I love the feel of the place, the food, the live music, that whole comfy vibe. Whenever I was in the UK, I went there all the time. As a local, this is an especially exciting project to take on."
The team has moved quickly since acquiring the venue last year, with the interior now completely refitted. Most significantly, Michelin-trained head chef Adam Barnes is now at the helm.
The menu is best described as high-end modern British. "It's about getting a balance - high-end, very good quality, but clean." Everything is locally sourced where possible, organic throughout, and nothing deep-fried.
The venue now opens seven days a week - and long term the plan is to roll out the brand across the North West. "This next phase of Riva will be bigger and better than ever before," he says.
