Ivy Café Blackheath

The Blackheath branch of The Ivy Café is a stylish joint, with outstanding service, a buzzy vibe and a menu of classics.

Be sure to order the crispy duck salad for the combination of flavours and textures. Spicy, hot, sweet and salty, it also had nuts and seeds for crunch, plus watermelon for succulence. The slow roasted, mustard-and-herb-crusted lamb shoulder was also decent. Crunchy-edged chicken milanese was satisfactory, if a tad boring and bland, like glorified chicken fingers for grown-ups. That is my only complaint about this place: many of the dishes on offer are not as exciting as the atmosphere.

Still maybe that’s what Londoners expect when they come to the Ivy Café: good looks, passable food and service that makes you feel at home.