Isn't that what's-his-name? (The Ivy)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	The Ivy
Date:	24/07/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb food in excellent surroundings

Disadvantages: You may have to book well in advance for a table

Every year we try to find somewhere interesting to celebrate our anniversary. We've found some great places in the past; rarely have we been completely disappointed. This year was a little different in that my wife had to be in London for a conference on the day of our anniversary. I found us a hotel nearby and came along to spend a day in London whilst she was otherwise occupied.

Fortunately the conference wasn't going to last all day so we would be free in the evening. All it needed was to find somewhere to celebrate. London clearly has almost unlimited choices of great places to eat and one such was a place about which I've always been curious and very much wanted to try - The Ivy. Being as popular as it is, booking well in advance would be necessary. Even so, the earliest I was able to get a table was 9.30pm!

The Ivy is in the heart of Theatre-land, just to the north of Covent Garden and to the east of Soho, just off of Charing Cross Road. Approached down a narrow and unimpressive lane, you know when you have arrived when you spot the top-hatted doorman waiting to welcome you in.

The actual restaurant is wedge-shaped and not that big. The tables are all reasonably close together but not cramped. But what is immediately evident is that every single table is full, despite the fact that, in our case, this is a Monday night! And the tables remain full all night long. We were amused by the sight of tables being lifted above the heads of diners and removed from the room or replaced in order to ensure the correct seating for each party.

It is no surprise that you have to book so far in advance in order to be sure of a table. Throughout our entire evening there, no table was vacant for longer than it took to clear and reset it. Yet, we did not feel pressurised at all to hurry up with our meal or even to vacate it once we had finished.

The décor is very 20s Theatre-land, as is appropriate to its location and to much of its regular clientèle. I found it interesting and not unattractive. But, we're not here to sightsee: we're here to eat.

The menu is extensive; the various dishes, before we even get to the dessert courses, are divided up into eight categories, which include such as Starters, Soups, Fish, Entrees and so on. The prices are not as high as you would expect, at least, not as high as you would expect of a restaurant with such a huge reputation.

This, however, does not extend to the Wine Menu. The restaurant prides itself on its wine cellar and the prices, in general, do reflect this. I chose a bottle of 2006 Vacqueyras, a particular favourite of mine, which was priced at just over £36. This was, however, in the lower section of those wines on offer! It was, though, superb.

We both decided that there was no way we were going to be able to work our way through the entire menu, even at just one item from each section. However, we didn't choose to stick just to fish or meat but to have a little of both.

We both started with Bang Bang Chicken, a cold dish of shredded chicken on a bed of salad and covered in a delicious peanut based spicy sauce. It made an excellent start to our meal, just enough to let you know you'd had something but not too much to spoil what was to come.

For our next course we both once again chose the same dish, a Shellfish Bisque. This arrived in a large bowl, pieces of shellfish in the bottom, with the liquid component poured over it at the table. This time I was a little worried: there really was quite a lot of it. The taste was superb, rich and tasty and, yes, we did manage to finish it all; it was far too good to leave any.

For our main course we agreed to differ. My wife chose the Rump of Lamb whilst I couldn't resist the sound of their Steak and Ale Pie. My wife's came perfectly cooked: rare and still pink in the middle, with a selection of vegetables. She declared it cooked to perfection.

My pie arrived, baked in a bowl as large as the one in which the bisque had been served. No vegetables were included with the dish and here I had my first and only disappointment of the evening: I initially chose the creamed spinach, only to be told it was off! So, instead I selected the creamed cauliflower together with a potato and Parmesan mash. The meat was tender but still with substance, just as I like it. The pastry was just the right texture.

Neither of us were able to finish this course, not if we were still to have room for a dessert. I certainly had to admit defeat with still about a fifth of the pie left. There can be no complaints of insufficient quantity at The Ivy; Nouvelle Cuisine this is not.

So, on to the final course. Here my wife felt she really had had enough, only just enough room for a coffee, accompanied by a small selection of The Ivy's chocolate truffles. I was attracted to the Blueberry Meringue Pie and was glad that I was. It was delicious and a perfect end to an almost perfect meal.

So, how much did this splendid evening cost? Well, as you would expect, it wasn't cheap but by the same token it wasn't as expensive as I had expected. Certainly I have spent more on a meal in the past but without it having been better than we had enjoyed here. For the two of us the meal came to £144, not bad when you consider how much of that simply represented the wine.

A 12.5% discretionary service charge is added to that, which you can remove if you wish to give in cash instead. There has been much adverse publicity about certain restaurant chains making up employees' minimum wages with service charge "tips"; I doubt this applies to The Ivy. Service throughout was just as I like it: attentive but never intrusive.

Oh, and did we see any celebs? We did, just the one though. I immediately recognised him though not until he and his party were leaving: that marvellous Welsh comedy actor and raconteur - Victor Spinetti. He seemed to have greatly enjoyed his visit, as had we. He smiled at everyone who acknowledged him and looked in very good health despite his advancing years.

Summary: A World-famous London restaurant offering a unique experience for special occasions