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The Ivy
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That the Ivy continues to be a celeb-magnet is no doubt partly down to the herd mentality of the famous, but also to the fact that it gives them just what they want. Which (minus the staff discretion and a careful seating policy) is pretty much what most people want: an atmospheric room, a sense of occasion, a thrum of staff activity, and good food pitched at various tastes and moods. The long menu is the food equivalent of easy listening: an accumulation of popular world classics from pasta to grills, Thai curry to shepherd’s pie, shellfish to fish and chips. But if the kitchen can’t claim originality, it does nod to seasonality and, in the main, has quality nailed. When we visited, the caesar salad and steak tartare were near-definitive; white asparagus sensitively handled; lamb sweetbreads unctuous, and chips satisfying. A steak and anticlimactic desserts disappointed – but the celebrity count did not (three: from film, fashion and soap opera). You can generally get a booking here at off-peak times with a month’s notice, sometimes less.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009
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Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 1 West Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9NQ
- Area: Covent Garden
- Tel: 020 7836 4751
- www.the-ivy.co.uk
- Book online
- Category: Modern European
- Travel: Leicester Square tube
- Times: Lunch served noon-3pm Mon-Sat; noon-3.30pm Sun. Dinner served 5.30pm-midnight daily
- Price: Main courses £9.25-£25.50. Cover £2
- Credit cards: AmEx, DC, MC, V
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I decided that it was time for a trip to London to do all the touristy things that I always saw people doing whilst I was there on business. Two friends and I decided to fly down to London from Glasgow for the day and take in the sights as carefree tourists.
We decided to have lunch at The Ivy so that we could indulge in a bit of star spotting, socially quite the unacceptable thing to do but that’s why the restaurant is always full to the brim.
On the whole it’s tarted up pub food, and in homage to this I opted for a deep fried haddock and chips at the cost of £17.95. My local chippy serves a tastier and much larger portion of fish'n'chips for a almost a quarter of the price. I thought well, whilst in Rome.
I was slightly disappointed that there was a distinct lack of recognisable faces among the throngs of diners who all seemed to have a look of expectancy on their faces. In saying that I thought I had spotted KD Lang on the other side of the restaurant until my friend advised that it was actually some unassuming young man. Shame.
What really did get my goat however was that they had added a cover charge of £6.00 per person - at lunch! That is £18 for 3 people and when that is combined with a £10 service charge, meant that we paid £28 for nothing! Nothing! I don't ever bemoan a tip if the service is up to par, but to pay £28 on top of a £60 lunch for 3 was ludicrous and it is for this reason that I will never return to this of establishment. The rich and famous can keep this grotesque manifestation of their perceived self worth, I’ll stick with my local chippy.
The ivy restaurant was a real disappointment for me. The receipies were not original at all. It was noisy and the dishes were overpriced since they are really nothing special. With one word it was a mediocre restaurant with a lot of loud people. I did not need to reserve, I just walked in.
We really enjoyed our trip to the Ivy - though the 5.30pm slot (all that was left!) meant that there was not a celebrity in sight! However, the food was really nice. The Chicken and Morel soup was the best soup I have ever tasted. The chicken bang-bang is nice but VERY peanutty! I had the duck two-ways which was lush and my hubby had the chargrilled chicken. Very nice.
The staff were so welcoming and as 'normal' people, we did not feel out of place. Tables were pulled out to let us in, drinks were continually topped up, and service was really wonderful. The meal cost £95 for the 2 of us, which included drinks. Not too bad.
My only wish is that we had a later table, but we were simply grateful to get a table at all!
Worth a visit.