I
had never eaten at a branch of The Ivy before, but had heard good things and
when I noticed there was one in Edinburgh, my mind was made up – I was booking
a table. Big mistake when you have a baby/toddler! As someone who loves
restaurants, not just food but the overall dining experience, I was so looking forward
to it – and then I remembered I’m a mum and the restaurant isn’t exactly
family-friendly. There was no children’s menu and although we were offered a
highchair, it’s far too nice a place for young children.
Thankfully
Alfie was asleep when we arrived and stayed asleep until we were midway through
our meal... there’s no way I’d have paid for him to have the Shepherd’s Pie
from the main menu and it would have been one of few things he’d have eaten. We
were able to wheel him through the restaurant in the pushchair and just leave
him next to our booth seat and the next table’s wine cooler.
The
dining area is beautiful, quite modern in its seating and wall art; which is a
stark contrast to the bar area. It reminded me of Harry’s Bar or Bob Bob Ricard
in that it was very Art Deco, almost classical. The outdoor area is meant to be
more French Brasserie style, but I didn’t really pay too much attention to
that; although with the nice weather, I think I’d have rather sat outside. At
least I wouldn’t have been so anxious about Alfie making a scene or feeling to
under- or over-dressed. The dress code is smart casual, which is always a
difficult one as it’s open to debate and interpretation. I wore my yellow tea
dress with my Kurt Geiger trainers and wasn’t too sure about my choice of
footwear (I had also packed my KG sling backs), but then I saw people in jeans,
shorts, tracksuit tops and allsorts, so I needn’t have worried!
I’m
not sure why, but we both decided not to have a drink this evening. So I chose
the Elderflower Cooler. I guess it
was a non-alcoholic version of a Gin & Tonic, containing Seedlip Garden and
Æcorn Dry non-alcoholic aperitifs, as well as elderflower cordial and tonic,
garnished with edible flowers and cucumber ribbons. I found it quite dry and
bitter, especially compared to a normal G&T – but it was refreshing. The
annoying thing is, at £5.95, I could have got a small glass of house wine for
the same price!
There
is a set menu every weekday from 11:30am to 6:30pm, priced at £16.95 for two
courses and £21 for three courses. There wasn’t really anything on it that
caught my eye, so we both chose from the a la carte menu and in the end, only
had the one course.
After
much deliberation, I chose the Salmon
& Asparagus (£16.95) – pan-fried salmon with asparagus tortellini, peas
and champagne sauce. It was beautifully light and fresh, perfect for a warm
summer’s evening. I was asked if I was happy for my salmon to be pink and it
was cooked to my liking. The sauce was most definitely the highlight, the dish
wouldn’t have been dry without it, it just added another dimension of flavour
and complemented the fish well. Even better, the sauce was brought out
separately in a jug, so I could add as much as I liked – rather than it
arriving swamped.
Ash
ordered The Ivy Shepherd’s Pie (£14.50). You can’t really go wrong with a
classic, even if it was a warm evening. It’s also one of those dishes that is
really hard to actually get wrong. It was presented beautifully, as an
individual pie and came served with gravy (in a gravy boat). Ash said it was a
bit small and he doesn’t remember it being anything special.
The
dessert menu was pretty dreamy, but as Alfie woke up and didn’t enjoy the
sourdough bread I’d ordered for the table, we decided to settle up in order to
get him some dinner and get back to the car, and hotel. While my first
experience of The Ivy wasn’t what I was hoping for, I’d love to return and
would even return to the Edinburgh branch if I were in the city – but either
way, I’d be child-free. The afternoon tea menu looks divine. It would be a
great place to go for a catch-up with girlfriends, as the wine and cocktail
menus are decent. The restaurant just has that lovely relaxed, but elegant
ambience. To be honest, bar snacks and cocktails al fresco would suit me just
fine!
Love,
Lucy xx
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Love, Lucy xx