Coat check at the door, dressed in our relative best we enter the restaurant. First impressions - our relative best didn't really cut it with the rest of the posh crowd. In particular women who knew their way around a make-up brush. But then further in the room, normal looking people and we were more at ease!
Attentive service at the table, easy to read menu with a large number of choices and surprise of all surprises the vegetarian dishes were reasonably priced! As with many places when presented with the wine list all one can generally do is take a bit of a stab. Given it was arranged in price order we thought we would go with option 4 (of many), we didn't want to look like we were cheap! As it turned out it was a lovely bottle of South American Red which was swiftly scoffed and followed by another.
All decided on entrees - two scallop dishes, one tandoori prawns, one seafood bisque, one squid salad. General impression was good, not fantastic but not scary either. The scallop lovers had eaten at the Ivy previously and had ongoing dreams of the succulent scallops, however on this occasion they were somewhat disappointed. The scallops used to be seared with their roe, but now they are all sanitised and this was to their flavour detriment by all reports.
But coming to the Ivy is not all about the food. One of the males at the table spotted a celebrity in the toilet - the place where everyone is the same! Hmmm but really not sure whether John McCririck really consitutes a celebrity spot! So perhaps it's the atmosphere and the service that keeps everyone coming back.......?
The atmosphere is not particularly special. Again, not that it was offensive. Clean tables, low lighting with most of the background noise supplied by other diners rather than a CD player. It was comfortable. The dining chairs with the arm rests were very comfortable and the light was flattering for most people! Indeed the staff all appeared to be very attractive - not sure whether the light is particularly flattering for those wearing white and black, or whether the staff have to pass an attractiveness test to get a job but made for entertaining dining. Especially when one of the other members of our table were enamored of our waiter!
The service itself was also fairly good. Staff were discreet, happy to give advice with no indication that you are clearly a pleb. And in fact if you watch them closely enough you can see their response to the really dodgy clientele - those with more money, and alcohol in their system, than sense. Also entertaining!
So the mains arrived the trofie pasta with morels and asparagus was delicious. Possibly a touch too much salt - but definitely morish. Hard not to lick the plate. The organic trout fillet with cockels and spinach was delightfully light. The thai sea bass was baked in banana leaves and impressed. The steak and lamb dishes though were fairly average as far as real meat dishes go.
Dessert was a list of dishes tat everyone had heard of - pannacotta, creme brulee, lemon tart, chocolate pudding - so I tried rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb. This was rhubarb 3 ways - as compote on top of a meringue, as ice-cream, and as a baked tart. It was fabulous - and I don't mind saying envied by others at the table who had snorted at the idea of rhubarb! Fresh mint tea rounded off the evening and sometime around 12.30am we casually made our way outside! With others still dining!
So all in all, it was an interesting night. The food was satisfying, the service was entertaining- especially the waiter with the borrowed grey contacts as he had lost his glasses - and we at no point felt that we were not welcome. Great night had by all.
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