The Ivy has come to dominate the food scene in London, and has slowly been encroaching on the North. Both its Leeds and York locations have opened recently to great acclaim.
The first star of the afternoon has to be the decor within the Ivy. It’s beautiful, Art Deco and cave-like. It reminds me of a late Edwardian era gentlemen’s smoking room. It’s awesome. It’s like the restaurant version of Penhaligon’s. But despite its sumptuous surroundings, the staff is anything but pretentious. They are cheerful and happy; and the food is classic, with a tongue-in-cheek nod to a bygone era, without being stuffy and dated.
I felt like a lady of leisure. Helped along, of course, by the fact that I was dressed like I was at the witches’ school in the ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ reboot, and the fact that I was having cocktails pre-2pm. I started with the English Spritz. (£7) It’s made with Earl Grey gin, lemon & orange oleo-saccharum, Cocchi Americano, Prosecco, and soda water. It was refreshing and insanely delicious. If I were to go back again, I would most certainly order it again. Sam opted for the classic Cosmo (Wyborowa vodka, Cointreau, cranberry, lime & peach bitters with a flamed orange zest) which at £6.75 seemed like a steal for a cocktail of its size!
After cocktails we moved on to the house white wine, which was perfectly drinkable, but after the heady enjoyment of an insanely delicious cocktail, I wish I had stuck to the cocktails. (Though my post lunch work may have suffered slightly.)
To start, Sam had the steak tartare (£9.25) whilst I had the avocado and tomato cocktail (£8.75). Sam’s starter came with a side of toasted granary bread to soak up the perfectly runny yolk of his egg and the beef strip-loin. He was also impressed that the Ivy had nailed the portion balance so impeccably. He said it was herby, a little bit spicy, and had an almost creamy texture. I was overjoyed to see that the Ivy offered a separate vegan and vegetarian menu, and I was drawn to my starter by my unabashed love for tomatoes and avocados. It was styled (and imitated) an old-school prawn (shrimp) cocktail, and I loved that nostalgic nod. It was filled with roasted red peppers, lettuce and pomegranate dressed with a spicy harissa sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I wish I had some sort of bread/crouton/crispy flat bread/cracker to go along with it and soak up the tasty sauce.
For mains, Sam had a pan-fried fillet of sea bass with a red pesto and olive tapenade sauce. It was the daily special, so it might not be there if you were to look for it; however, Sam heartily recommends it if it is. He said it was really rich and the sea bass was very meaty. (Though in retrospect, he adds that he wished he had ordered a side of the thick cut chips to accompany it.)
I had the roasted butternut squash with buckwheat, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate with crumbled bean curd, and a harissa sauce and coriander dressing. (£12.75) The sauce was so insanely delicious that I need to learn to make it for myself. The butternut squash was sliced almost like a fillet of beef and it was perfectly cooked.
We saved room for dessert (of course), because we don’t go out unless we are planning to stuff ourselves to within the outer realm of human capability. Sam had the famous Chocolate Bombe (£8.50), a melting chocolate bombe with a vanilla ice cream and honeycomb centre with hot salted caramel sauce. The only think that made me truly sad during our lunch was that I didn’t manage to snap a photo of Sam’s chocolate bombe before the hot caramel sauce was poured over and melted through. You’ll just have to trust me that it was magical and Willy-Wonka esque. It was so decadent, that Sam exclaimed that he wanted another, though he knew that he didn’t really have space for one. Whilst I had the Rum Baba (£8.25); a rum soaked sponge with Chantilly cream and raspberries, it was slightly less dramatic than Sam’s dessert, though it too came with something to pour overtop. In this instance, a shot of rum. It certainly made for a stiff, if tasty, dessert.
I’ll definitely be back to the Ivy soon!
But keep on eye on what your local Ivy is up to. They change things round and offer special experiences. For example, recently, the Ivy St Helen’s Square, York has been supporting the Royal British Legion with their Poppy Afternoon Tea. It all centred around the Poppy Appeal and it looked delicate and stunning. Plus with a large charitable donation of the proceeds, it was a great excuse to go for afternoon tea.
Have you dined at the Ivy before?
The Ivy, York is at 2 St Helen’s Square, YO1 8QP. To book call 01904 403888 or visit www.theivyyork.com
***I was a guest of the Ivy, but all opinions are forever my own. ***
