Today I was having a little wander around in my hood with my mother, who is visiting from Denmark. My mother is quite a classy woman, and after a bit of shopping, with bags full of spooky masks, dracula capes and theatre makeup (yes, it is true! Happy Halloween), I decided to treat her to a lunch after the horrors of a packed party shop.
Ive always wanted to visit one of The Ivy Brasseries – and luckily, there is one located at High Street Kensington.
The Ivy Brasserie from the outside (my bag with halloween stuff was hidden away, just to make me look a bit smarter!)
There are many reasons to chose The Ivy:
First one is, that it shimmers with style. Even though you feel like, you are entering a ballroom, it is still very easy and relaxed. The staff were friendly and professional – in spite of my bloody plastic zombie-killer sword popping out of my embarrassing bag!
The second reason is, that it is actually not very expensive here! I think, I can speak for many, when I say, that there is nothing better than having a really nice, classy and stylish lunch without having to pay a months rent!
My mother and I had a lovely table and for a newcomer like me, it was quite a surprise to see, how many celebrities, who had found their way to this place. Kate Moss was actually attending a birthday party at another table, which made me lose a bit of focus on my food (which really never happens! – and no, I didn’t take a picture of her, even though I really wanted to)
I really liked the menu card! There is something for everybody here. Classic comfort food and lots to choose from (so it took me about half an hour to finally make my decision)
Here is what, we went for – and it was utterly beautiful!
Seasonal soup: Roast iron bark pumpkin soup with truffled goat´s curd with sage leaves
Chicken liver parfait with caramelised hazelnut, pear and stem ginger compote and toasted ciabatta
Steak tartar (again!) Hand chopped beef striploin with tabasco dressing, cornichon, shallot, parsley, egg yolk and toasted granary – and truffled parmesan chips on the side!
Smoked salmon and crab open sandwich with crushed avocado, grapefruit and baby watercress
Now before you think, that is A LOT of food for two women – I can only agree! The portions were quite big and we could easily have settled for less. These dishes were all starters (except for the sandwich), so my advice is to start with less than you think, you can eat (and then maybe go for a dessert, if you can’t help it. I didn’t have one, but the creme brûlée at my neighbours table looked heavenly!)
Our waiter was very sweet and smiling – however he didn’t really dare to come close to me – I blame my Halloween bag!
All in all The Ivy Brasserie is a lovely place with really good, classic and affordable food – and it certainly has the va-va-voom effect, when it comes to celebrity watching. I will be back!
