Ivy review from Dan

My eyes have seen the light! This is what a restaurant can achieve if it really puts its mind to it!

I entered the evening with 4 other friends to sample the delights of the world-renowned Ivy. "Now, let’s not get carried away" we muttered to each other. "Sure, it’s got armful of celebrities, sure the service is regarded as second to none, sure the sticky toffee pudding has the kind of good press that only Helen of Troy has achieved."

The restaurant itself is quite strange. The old-school feel of paneled walls and the wonderful stained glass windows is mixed with garish, modern-school artwork. The menu, rarely changing , but then no-one seems to complain, offers an interesting range of dishes with no real theme running through it. French and English dishes sit invitingly alongside temptations from the East.

Fish was the unanimous decision for starters. My flat-mate and I both deciding upon seared scallops, cooked perfectly brown on the outside yet retaining the essential moisture that a good scallop requires. Crab Bisque, with a strong, full flavouring of fresh crab had us all cooing and wondering if maybe we should re-order from the top again. Dressed Crab, in a perfect Kilamanjaro heap illustrated just what we had dreaded in our earlier pre-dinner discussions: the Ivy takes normal dishes and takes them to another level.

For mains we turned our attentions to meat and vegetables. Lamb cooked to pinkish perfection, duck seared and sitting next to the finest sweet potato mash that I have ever tasted. Oddly, it was not the meat that had us all moaning with delight, but the vegetables. Minted peas with the exact amount of flavouring for all our palates, mustard mash infused to the right degree and spinach, retrieved from the pan at that tricky time between raw and over-cooked. It was at this moment that the Ivy "secret" dawned on us. "Don’t get wrapped up in elaboration, keep it simple, but cook it perfectly."

Service is pleasant, unobtrusive and extremely well-mannered. Atmosphere is exciting without being loud. But what about the celebrities? Bob Hoskins enjoyed a quiet supper with his family, Helena Bonham-Carter frolicked with her friends and Kathleen Turner rushed past us as we were leaving.

Cost of the meal for 5, including 3 bottles of wine, was £70 per head. And it’s true about the sticky toffee pudding!