We’ve just returned from our visit to The Ivy. After years of hearing about this centre stone of culinary life in London we finally managed to make it. The story goes that The Ivy’s past its prime, and it is true that after an era when every A-lister in town and from around the world wanted to make sure that they were seen at this place, the times have become a bit quieter around here. However there is still some sexy light-hearted grandeur and elegance about this place.
Service was very friendly, helpful, and quick. There is a set menu that comes at a very reasonable price. However, we weren’t that hungry, so decided to go for two mains and a dessert to share. Ms B opted for duck confit, pressed potato, green kale & orange sauce (£23), I chose Belted Galloway sirloin steak (260g for a very reasonable £27.50). As sides we went for buttered spinach (£6) and buttered green beans with crispy shallots (£5).
The food arrived quickly. We both thought that the duck confit was good, even though perhaps not spectacularly so. My steak was fabulous, maybe a tad overdone (I had ordered medium to medium-rare; it felt more like medium to well done). The two side-dishes were decent, even though they didn’t do much more than fulfil their purpose of adding some carbs and vitamins, that’s about it.
Then it was Ms B’s choice to decide on the dessert (she’s the one with the sweet tooth in our relationship) and she went for malted milk panna cotta, salted caramel, cacao nibs, and honeycomb for £9.75, and what an excellent choice that was! The looks, the textures, the flavours, everything was perfect. We also shared a coffee (£3.75) and their Alacrity cocktail (Martini Rosso, raspberry liqueur, sugar cube soaked in orange bitters, Champagne; £16). We liked both the coffee and the cocktail.
Will we be back? Definitely. We enjoyed the atmosphere, the service, and even though the food is unlikely to win any prizes anytime soon, it’s a fact of life that there is only one Ivy, and this is the one, yay. Taking the overall experience into account, we’re willing to give it 3.75 out of 5.
Looking for any further restaurant reviews? Try Galvin at the Athenaeum, Fera at Claridge’s, The Yellow House, or London’s best pizza place. Or you could use some inspiration for your next trip? Eyeball our posts about skiing in Dubai, riding a camel in the Sahara, or canyoning, rock-climbing, off-roading, and bridge-arch-climbing, and going on a boat ride in Porto. Finally, don’t miss out on our guest posts on Kalmykia and Chechnya.
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