The London Restaurant Review

Ivy review from Piers

We managed to get a last minute table at The Ivy for two of us at 7.15pm so long as we gave the table back at 9pm. This was a Thursday night and I had called up on the off chance at 4pm so was pretty happy.
I arrived a little early and was shown to the bar and offered a drink and a newspaper whilst I was waiting for my guest, which was nice. At 7.20pm we were shown to an excellent table at the back of the restaurant overlooking the whole floor. There must have been a lot of pre theatre meals going on because lots of tables were leaving but by 8pm they were all full again.
The menu is great. Everything from Caviar to Croque Monsieur. Something for everyone and nothing too pricey (except the caviar).
I went for a beetroot salad to start with followed by a sirloin steak and chips. Both were excellent. My guest went for the Linguine starter and the Lobster salad. We shared a chocolate pudding souffle which took 15 minutes to prepare and was well worth the wait. All in all the food was very good and the service was excellent. We washed everything down with a large bottle of water and a bottle of 2001 St. Emilion, priced at £49. You can read the wine review on my Pocket Vintages website.
http://www.pocketvintages.com
Get the The Ivy if you can - it is excellent.
13 July 2007

To book The Ivy Restaurant click here

Ivy review from Seb

When we arrived, I was asked my name and when I told the Maitre d' she came across as if she was really expecting us and welcomed us. We were told to wait in the bar whilst our table was prepared. We were served with drinks and peanuts and olives. It was quite nice to sit and absorb the atmosphere and watch others enter. Spotted two celebrities in the bar. After a short wait we were escorted to our table and the staff carried our drinks over. Service was impeccable although not at all intrusive. I had the soup for started which was outstanding and my main course again was first class. Staff were very polite and attentive and I have no complaints whatsoever.
I have decided to make The Ivy one of my regular eateries. I can't recommend it enough!
Go and go again.
24 August 2007

To book The Ivy Restaurant click here

Ivy review from Dawn

Service was excellent food superb -cooked to perfection. Atmosphere lovely - very cosy and unpretentious even though several well known personalities there. However, all main courses come without vegetables so this bumps up the cost a little - each veg approx £3 extra. Well worth a visit!

To book The Ivy Restaurant click here

Ivy review from Gareth

Went along for the Sunday Lunch Menu. (£16.95 + Service). Food was excellent. A choice of 3 for starter and main course. I had the classic Roast Beef, cooked rare. Very good.

Ambience is what makes this place stand out. More of bistro than a formal dining room, the place was buzzing, and full, even when we left at 4pm. Can't wait to go back.

Definite lack of stars when we went, with only the Pet Shop Boys in attendance.

Advice: look like a star as you walk in, and everyone will think that you are!

Ivy review from Phil

The problem with my visit to The Ivy is that having heard so much it would have been impossible for any restaurant to live up to these expectations.

Having said that nearly eveything that has been said about it is true, fantastic atmosphere and some of the best cooked food in London (My Salmon Fishcake was the best I have ever tasted).

The only slight disappointment was staff attentiveness - on a couple of occasions we had to ask for our wine glasses to be topped up.

The overall experience was superb though and one I look forward to repeating in the very near future (if you can get a booking that is!).

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!

Ivy review from Mark

Myself and my wife were there in June 2000 for our 10th wedding anniversary.we were put at a table which we didn't like but we were moved without any hesistation.

We were surrounded by stars (Tom Hanks being one of them)yet we still got great attention.The food was first class and because it was our wedding anniversary they brought the sweet(which was between us)with 'Happy Anniversary' written in chocolate which I thought was a nice touch. We tried to book it again for June 9/6/2001 in February but they said it's booked up for the rest of the year which I find hard to beleive.

I was very disappointed indeed. The place is full of character and atmosphere without even trying.