The anticipation of walking past the iconic harlequin windows and through the doors at the original and world-famous Ivy on West Street was palpable.
Having worked for Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, as well as the late, great Mitch Everard, who ran the Ivy for them from 1990 until 2005, my connection to the venue is different to most others.
Anyone who has worked for them for an extended period of time will tell you that the lessons learned from working at any of their venues, past or present. A holistic approach to being restaurateurs, putting the guest and service first, but also having some incredible chefs in their kitchens being among them.
I had been regaled with tales from behind the scenes at the Ivy from 1990 onwards. Stories of the Queen, as well as a veritable who’s who from all walks of life, the work hard, play hard mentality of the team and a second to none attention to detail on all aspects of the restaurant and its service which kept people coming back time after time.
A bit of background on The Ivy is worth sharing, as it is so rich.
- Opened in 1917 as an Italian café in the heart of theatreland lending itself to people attending shows, along with the cast having somewhere to dine after the show.
- In 1950 the Ivy was sold to the Wheeler’s fish restaurant group and changed hands a couple of times until it closed in 1989.
- In 1990, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King reopened the venue, and this is where the glamourous story as we know it now begins. They sold their company to the Belgo group in 1998 (remember them and their Moules Frites)?
- In 2001, Richard Caring bought the Ivy and continues to own it to this day, keeping it as one of the most glamourous venues in the country, as well as now having opened 46 venues under the Ivy Collection umbrella making it an absolute juggernaut of the UK high street.
With that comes the pressure not just to keep the consistency of the original, but also to fulfil the huge expectations of the clientele, who may be dining for the 1st or 501st time.
I’ve been asking myself, how is it that I have never eaten here? There isn’t a good reason, as I have eaten at many of the Ivy Cafés over the past 10 years. It was a particular favourite of my mother where we celebrated her birthday numerous times.
So it was certainly long overdue, and I finally got round to visiting this London institution with three big questions at the forefront of my mind; Would it be as magical as I had pictured it to be? Had it been overhyped? Or is it now just a soulless chain? I was about to find out.
I was warmly greeted and immediately felt the room was alive with a buzz of people lunching in the Martin Brudnizki designed room. The marble reception desk, the bar being the centre piece, the irresistibly comfy looking red chairs, and the walls adorned with the works of Damian Hurst, Maggi Hambling and Tom Hackney give this room a timeless charm that more than matched the buzz mentioned earlier.
Hector the bubbly General Manager and his team took over from the reception and I was seated to experience ‘The Show’.
The first act was Truffle Arancini-fried arborio rice balls with cheese. These had a great crunch with a bit of truffle that was the just the right amount for an amuse bouche.
The second act was a signature dish from the days of Mark Hix as head chef. Crispy duck salad. Asian flavours of soy, spring onion, sesame seeds and five spice along with cucumber and watermelon all combined to give layers of flavour. It is no surprise this has been a staple for so long.
The Dressed crab was fresh, zingy and beautifully presented in a silver crab dish holding the crab shell, that really does have a visual impact and creates a lovely talking point. Bravo to whoever came up with this!
The third act had another ‘must order’ of the shepherds pie. Lamb mince and mash that was silky in the middle and crispy on top-as it should be! With rosemary dotted around and a jus/gravy that was deep and rich. This really hit the spot and was comfort food par excellence.
We also had a gargantuan Veal Holstein, breadcrumbed veal, topped with capers and a fried egg. The upgraded Wiener schnitzel was cooked just right; I loved the shepherds pie jus so much I was dipping the Holstein into it-how sublime!
The finalé was a Rhum Au Baba-a light sponge cake with cream and pineapple drowned in Rum, I cannot resist the Rummy temptation and succumbed. The delightful Cuban Rum that topped the sponge lifted the dish, I almost ordered a snifter of extra Rum but remembered I had to function the rest of the day.
This was accompanied by a chocolate bomb that had both showmanship with the chocolate dome melted by the waiter pouring a warm sauce. Very, very moreish!
The attention to detail on the drinks was also there, with a concise, but well thought out wine list and a very good cocktail menu. It can be that restaurants such as this forgets to match the level of the beverage offering to the service and food, not here though!
A ‘Caberet Sour’ which is a whisky, ginger and Pineau Des Charentes cocktail is a sublime Aperitif, I can’t think of a time when I had a bad drink with the nectar of the gods Pineau Des Charentes and this was no different-a touch of pineapple was a stroke of genius.
A Cotes Du Rhone white stood up to the starters, and the St Emilion and Rioja reds were just what the doctor ordered (my guest is an optometrist).
The service was on the whole, slick and friendly-the Dessert service was very slow due to a change in waiters, but that did not dampen the total experience.
Is this a place that must be visited at least once? 100%. You will feel special as will your guests. I left feeling very well fed, and despite the dessert hiccup, also very well looked after.
The Ivy West Street
1-5 West St, London WC2H 9NQ
Open seven days a week, from 11:30am – 11:00pm.
ivycollection.com