Rating: 87.
In his book The Ivy, the restaurant and its recipes, A.A. Gill mentions that "a table at the Ivy is one of the most sought after pieces of furniture in London". Gill's book was published in 1997, and perhaps it's no longer THE hottest table in town, but longtime celebrity magnet The Ivy is still an undisputed icon on the London dining scene, and it will be of no surprise that The Ivy's furniture fetched over £1m at a charity auction earlier this year. The auction took place in March, following the closure of the restaurant in January for an extensive revamp. Perhaps the most remarkable lots were number 400, The Ivy entrance doors, which went for £27,500, and lot 403, The Ivy entrance mat, which sold for £3,125.


The Ivy reopened in June with a brand new menu, designed by head chef Gary Lee, featuring a mix of new and classic Ivy dishes (starters £8.00-£21.50, mains £15.75-£39.00, desserts £6.75-£16). The set menu (not available on Fridays and Saturdays) is priced at £21.75 for 2 courses and £26.25 for 3 courses. I had lunch with my husband at The Ivy on Wednesday 15 July 2015 on we both ordered a la carte dishes.

My starter was Ivy's classic Bang Bang Chicken, a simple but delicious dish of pieces of tender chicken breast, coated with a sweet and rich peanut sauce, served on a crunchy salad of carrot, spring onion and cucumber, and finished with sprinkling of chopped peanuts, chilli flakes and black and white sesame seeds.


Grilled Dover sole on the bone followed. This king of the sea was well-cooked, but regardless of its classic (and clever) plating, it was on the small side. Relative to its royal price tag of £39, this particular fish was only a minor aristocrat. With the sole came some well-made Bearnaise sauce and I had ordered two side dishes, cos and kale salad (£5.50) and a portion of chips (£3.75), which were both lovely. Including service charge this main came to £54.28.


Dessert was "Ivy Melba Mess": as the name suggests a delightful mix between a Peach Melba and Eton Mess. Served in a classic sundae glass were layers of delicious vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, strawberry/raspberry sauce, fresh strawberries and raspberries and broken meringue pieces.


The Ivy is part of the Caprice Holding restaurant group, and over the years I have had many a great meal at their restaurants, such as Le Caprice, J. Sheekey, 34, and my personal favourite Scott's. On the whole my lunch at the Ivy was enjoyable, the food was nicely cooked, I liked the feel of the restaurant, and the service was good.  Nevertheless, this is not the kind of restaurant were Iwill go to if I have a hankering for Dover sole. Well, maybe if I become a size 0.