With tier three restrictions sweeping more than 68% of the UK this week, including our beloved capital city of London, it’s more important than ever to show our support for our favourite restaurants and bars.
Whether its delivery services or DIY kits, we’ve rounded up a few ways you can show your love for London’s foodie scene this holiday season. Because just as we’ve relied on these truly wonderful places to delight our taste buds over the years, they are now relying on us and our community of food-lovers to help them weather the COVID-19 storm.
Hakkasan at Home emerged as a true lockdown favourite this year and its new delivery service ‘Hosted by Hakkasan’ is certainly taking delivery services to new heights.
Hosted by Hakkasan delivers a complete Michelin-star experience straight to your doorstep. The service even includes personalised chef and sommelier recommendations, printed menus, floral arrangements, and even a member of staff if you require. You can also enjoy the Hosted by Hakkasan experience across multiple households – perfect for a socially-distanced Christmas celebration.
Soho staple 10 Greek Street has partnered with feast-box delivery service Dishpatch to offer an incredible Christmas Beef Banquet, which can be delivered just in time for Christmas Day.
The minimal preparation kit is perfect for kitchen novices looking to impress your festive support bubble this season. It includes a Goldstein Smoked Salmon starter, Welsh black ribeye and short rib pie for mains, a trio of potato gratin, brusselsprouts, chestnuts & lardon for sides. For pudds, there is the date & treacle pudding, butterscotch & Chinotto mascarpone and Tunworth cheese with fig chutney and chocolate Florentines.
Six by Nico London may have only opened in 2020, but it has quickly become one of the city’s most innovative foodie spots. The Christmas by Nico boxes from Home-X offers a mouth-watering five course-feast that includes a traditional Turkey Ballotine, with a selection of delicious sides and Christmas spiced Toffee pudding.
It also comes with a curated selection of paired wines. The whole Six by Nico Christmas feast takes about 100 minutes to prepare and is perfect for those looking to test their culinary skills this holiday season (without having to sacrifice the whole day to do so).
One of our favourite Fitzrovia haunts, The Riding House Café, has released a line of Christmas and New Year Boxes, offering plenty of festive dining options no matter what you fancy. The Christmas Feast Box offers Norfolk Bronze turkey with delicious apple & raisin stuffing, sumptuous goose fast roast potatoes and glazed sprouts with kale. Extra indulgent add-ons include the restaurant’s signature Truffle Mac and Cheese and a Taittinger Champagne punch!
With two weeks left before Christmas, Team Coco are ramping up the holiday cheer and checking out the best festive dining spots in town. Our girl Hannah Tan-Gillies ventured to Paddington to sample the wonderfully creative fusion cuisine of Ayllu, and their Christmas ‘Nikkei’ tasting menu.
Set right on the canal, Ayllu London is a buzzy yet cosy foodie spot offering Peruvian-Japanese cuisine that packs a festive punch. There’s plenty of canalside seating outdoors if you’re planning a socially-distanced meetup with your pals, and plexiglass dividers inside for extra safety if you’re dining indoors with members of your household.
Inside, Ayllu exudes an effortless yet atmospheric community vibe. Picture low hanging woven pendant lights, deep green velvet banquettes, and plenty of stylish tropical foliage accents that almost tricks you into thinking you’ve hopped on a plane to Peru.
The restaurant was inspired by the food culture the ‘Ayllu’ Incan community and serves up some excellent Peruvian-Japanese small plates and sushi rolls and at excellent value too. We sampled the ‘Nikkei’ Tasting menu, which is priced at an incredibly reasonable £55 for two. We paired our meal with a deliciously-light 2018 New Zealand Pinot Noir from The Nest.
Our culinary voyage began with a trio of starters: Ceviche Mixto, Chicharron Roll and the Cazuela Sabor A Mar.
The Ceviche — a combination of sea bass, octopus, coriander and chilli — was executed to give just the right kick. The Chicharron Roll, which was mixture of avocado, pork, lime and kimchi mayo, was an excellent savoury mouthful, while the Cazuela Sabor Mar carefully married complementary Japanese and Peruvian elements. This final starter dish was made up of chargrilled salmon served over seafood stock rice and roasted seaweed.
Ayllu certainly ramped up the festivities with the Roast Turkey main course, but of course, added their own little fusion twist. Here, they wrapped turkey breast, asparagus and pepper, with delicious bacon and served it with a generous dollop of cranberry sauce.
Finally, we end with a quartet of Peruvian chocolate truffles, a final sweet flourish to bookend truly excellent meal.
‘Festive’ may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of fusion cuisine, but at £55 for two and with four wonderfully flavourful courses – we highly doubt you’ll find a better festive meal in town this holiday season than at Ayllu London.
Full menu available to view here & Christmas Day menus here.
With 14 years at the (literal) top of London’s food scene, Galvin at Windows is now taking afternoon tea to new dizzying heights. Our girl Hannah Tan-Gillies got a sneak peek at the refurbished 10 Degrees Sky bar on the 28th floor of the Hilton on Park Lane to sample Galvin at Window’s revamped afternoon tea offering.
Don’t expect a run of the mill afternoon tea at Galvin at Windows, because their afternoon tea experience, curated by Head Chef Marc Hardiman, offers up taste, bubbles, style and ambiance in true elevated style, befitting its equally elevated location.
Galvin at Windows’ afternoon tea was crafted in collaboration with one of the world’s finest artesian tea companies, Canon Tea; and set amongst the lush tropical interiors of the relaunched 10 Degrees Sky Bar. The refurbed bar is art deco meets bold tropical flair, but the pièce de resistance has to be the unbeatable views of the London skyline.
Guests can choose from three indulgent Afternoon Tea menus: The Classic, The Gin, and The Champagne, with plenty of delectable vegan alternatives to choose from.
We (of course) sampled the wonderfully decadent Champagne option and started our experience with a perfectly chilled glass of bubbles. We began with a quartet of sandwiches which included roast ham, tomato & Pommery mustard, tapenade and basil on beetroot bread and of course the quintessential coronation chicken.
We also highly recommend trying out the seasonal brews from Canton Tea. The Vietnamese Black tea in particular, was an excellent cinnamon-blended infusion perfect for colder winter weather. In true Galvin at Windows style, the pastries arrives in a golden bird cage serving up three tiers of confectionery perfection.
We indulged in the chocolate gateaux opera, green apple mousse, baked apple vanilla panna cotta, and the refreshingly crunchy forest berry teacup. Don’t forget to dig into in the freshly baked scones too, and slather on a hefty amount of the cashew nut & vanilla cream and apple & cinnamon compote.
And if the afternoon tea wasn’t enough to take your breath away, then the panoramic views of London, particularly during the golden moment when the sun is 10 degrees off the horizon, certainly will.
Galvin at Windows Afternoon Tea at 10 Degrees Bar is available from Friday-Sunday 1pm to 4pm. For more information visit @galvinatwindows | www.galvinatwindows.com
Now that lockdown 2.0 and #BlackNovember are out of the way, we’re once again filling our evenings — dining with our households or meeting some pals (safely) outdoors of course — and booking some of the best festive dining spots London has to offer.
If you’ve been in a lockdown hole (heck – we all have) and don’t know where to begin, then we’ve put together a hit-list of all our favourite festive feasts in the city no matter what your mood.
London Stock: For a chilled out evening in South London
The newest kid on the block of Wandsworth Ram’s Quarter has reopened its doors in true holiday style with a £65pp 10-course holiday menu that will certainly blow your mind. It begins with two delectable mushroom dishes (one a Mushroom Cep gnochetti and the other a parfait with pickled walnuts and sourdough) and ends with Malt and Miso soufflé bang.
Some other culinary highlights include the Beef Cheek with Jerusalem artichoke, Roast Cod with pickled mussels in a light soy and ginger broth, and Roast Turkey two ways. London Stock’s culinary exodus is completed with a trio of sweet treats which includes a Delica Squash with Yuzu, praline and honey.
London Stock has also given its cocktail menu and wine list a festive makeover – and we’re looking at the ‘In The Woods’ concoction — a mixture of Hayman’s old Tom Gin and Cocci Americano, Mushroom and Blueberry Shrub — as both an aperitif and digestif.
Galvin at Windows: A timeless meal with unbeatable views
With 14 years at the (literal) top of London’s food scene, Galvin at Windows’ Christmas menu is certainly taking festive dining to new heights.
Following the lead of Chef Patron Chris Galvin and under the watchful eye of Chef Marc Hardiman, the ‘Taste of Christmas’ menu at Galvin at Windows begins at a very reasonable £59 pp offers four incredible courses and a welcome Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs to start. If the Cured Faroe Island Salad, Cornish Cod, and Native black Angus sirloin isn’t enough to blow you away (which is highly unlikely) than the panoramic views of Hyde Park certainly will.
The Christmas Day lunch menu is priced at £199 pp for four courses and offers a luxurious twist on timeless British classics. So, if you’re looking to reward yourself with an indulgent Christmas meal to end 2020 in true #TeamCoco style — then we highly recommend it.
All of the Galvin at Windows Festive menus can be viewed here.
Ayllu: A festive fusion meal that is out of the ordinary
‘Festive’ may not be the word that comes to mind when you think of Peruvian-Japanese fusion, but Ayllu’s holiday menu certainly packs the festive punch and then some. This contemporary fusion restaurant in Paddington was inspired by the ‘Ayllu’ Incan community and highlights these familial Peruvian traditions with a wonderfully creative selection of small plates.
We recommend dining out on the terrace and enjoying views of the canal while feasting on Ayllu’s Nikkei Tasting menu. The menu is priced at £55 for two people to share and has more than enough to satisfy your festive cravings.
Full menu available to view here & Christmas Day menus here.
Heddon Yokocho: For Ramen Lovers everywhere
This one is for all the ramen lovers looking for a festive meal out this December. Heddon Yokocho is re-opening with a new Christmas menu that packs all of the familiar ramen goodness with a Christmas twist. The menu is priced at only £24.5 per person and offers three courses with a drink.
We recommend the Chicken Karaage and Tokyo Shoyu ramen, and raising a glass of Shochu Sour Berry soju to finish. Also, the restaurant’s casual yet retro Japanese aesthetic will certainly satisfy your desire for escapism even if its just for one evening.
Heddon Yokocho’s Christmas menu is available from 10 to 24 December
Eco-distillery Cooper King launches Sharing Selection Boxes for Christmas
Yorkshire’s Cooper King Distillery has created a choice of two Sharing Selection Boxes for eco-conscious spirit lovers and not only do they fit through a letterbox, but the spirits are distilled with locally grown grain and botanicals and delivered in Forest Stewardship Council certified cardboard boxes.
Cooper King’s letterbox-friendly choice of two Sharing Selection boxes each contain three 100ml glass bottles of small-batch premium gin, gin liqueur, vodka or new-make malt spirit, complete with tasting notes, serving suggestions and a QR code to guided tasting videos – all beautifully packaged in a box designed by local Yorkshire artist, Emily Stubbs and inspired by Cooper King’s ancestry.
Choose from a box containing the Distillery’s award-winning Dry Gin, Herb Gin and Berry & Basil Gin Liqueur, or the box featuring Skosh Smoked & Spiced Dry Gin, Black Cardamom Botanical Vodka and New-Make Malt Spirit. The boxes are £25 from Cooperkingdistillery.co.uk.
The sustainability-minded can relax in the knowledge that Cooper King Distillery runs on 100% green energy, one of only a handful in the country to do so. It also has its own on-site beehives and a botanical garden to produce its own honey, basil and lemongrass, with spent botanicals and barley sent to a local bakery to be upcycled into delicious breads or fed to local cattle. Zero waste is sent to landfill.
Abbie Neilson, head distiller and distillery co-founder says: “The Sharing Selection boxes are a special gift experience for spirits lovers that can be delivered easily during the pandemic, while ensuring we continue to tread lightly on the planet and respond to the increasing demand for eco-conscious gifts.”
You can find out more about this fabulous, eco friendly concept over at Cooper King Distillery
Tyrrells Hand Cooked English Crisps has teamed up with celebrity pub owner Jodie Kidd to raise money for the Licensed Trade Charity Research commissioned by Tyrrells shows at least a third (29%) of British pubs took an active role in community effort to fight COVID-19 Jodie carried out guest bar shifts for three pubs across the country, as part of a competition to reward hardworking landlords with a prize celebrating the extra mile that British locals went to this year
With the recently announced 10pm curfew meaning the UK’s pub industry will likely continue to suffer from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, supermodel and publican Jodie Kidd has teamed up with Tyrrells Hand Cooked English Crisps to support British pubs and the people that work in them.
One million limited-edition Tyrrells ‘pub packs’ have gone on sale across the country, with 5p per pack donated to the Licensed Trade Charity and the pub people the charity helps. Despite being closed during the beginning of lockdown research by Tyrrells’ uncovered the great work that has been carried out by British pubs to support their community during lockdown, with many helping the local effort to fight the COVID-19 crisis. 15% of respondents said their local pub had helped to organise food deliveries to the vulnerable, while one in 10 (12%) said their local had fed key workers, supported elderly residents (11%) and provided meals for children not at school (9%).
As part of the campaign, Tyrrells hosted a competition for pubs to win a guest shift from Jodie Kidd, with the brand wanting to reward hardworking landlords with a great prize celebrating the extra mile that British locals went to this year. As well as getting behind the bar to pull pints, Jodie met with staff and local punters to hear about the work pubs carried out to support their local communities during these difficult past few months.
Tyrrells campaign ambassador Jodie Kidd said: “As a pub owner myself, I know many landlords who have suffered from being closed during lockdown. I also know first-hand how important pubs are to the local community. It was my pleasure to join Tyrrells on this campaign to support the Great British pub, and to get to travel around the country to meet the landlords and locals who’ve gone above and beyond to support their local communities over the last few months.
“After all, nothing is as quintessentially British as having a drink and a bag of crisps in your local pub. British pubs are an institution and it’s hugely important we help support them in whatever way we can so they can get back on their feet after this challenging period.”
Kevin McNair, Marketing Director at KP Snacks which owns Tyrrells, said: “In what has been a hugely challenging year for the whole country, we at Tyrrells want to recognise and celebrate the role British pubs play in bringing the community together. So many pubs and landlords have been hit hard financially by the lockdown, and while it’s great to see so many have been able to reopen safely, there’s a long way to go in terms of weathering the storm of the pandemic.
“We’re proud to be raising money for the brilliant work the Licensed Trade Charity does and we hope the money donated from our limited edition packs will play a role in helping the pub industry to get back on its feet.”
British restaurant The Ethicurean is getting ready to re-open its door. The past six months have been difficult for all hospitality venues, with the future still very unknown. For brothers and owners of The Ethicurean, Matthew and Iain Pennington, the forced pause gave them time to reflect, to consider and to imagine. After ten years of existence, they have decided to design the kind of experience that they have always wanted to give their customers. At the same time, they have decided to reinvent their approach to the business of running a restaurant. Matthew and Iain have always endeavoured to create a place of opportunity, security and enjoyment for everyone who chooses to work with them. For this reason, they have implemented an innovative new reservations system and a new business structure that they think will benefit both guests and their team.
The Ethicurean is situated in a bountiful Victorian Walled Garden set against the backdrop of the Mendip Hills. Guests are invited to slow down, to take time to be guided around the garden, to be curious and reconnect to the land. The fully immersive experience takes guests on a truly unique culinary journey. Following a walk through the walled garden, guests are welcomed by the team, then led into the cosy restaurant. Bunches of dried herbs cover the walls and dried flower arrangements sit along the windowsills and tables. The recently refurbished space drew inspiration from the local surroundings. Matthew and Iain worked with local craftsmen and kitchen fitters to create an environment that highlights the sustainable principles of the business.
With ingredients sourced from the garden, nourishing and homely food is served alongside wild libations. Naturally curious and guided by the seasons, The Ethicurean offers an ever-changing menu that draws on the freshest ingredients, with most of the vegetables and salads coming from the walled garden. Techniques such as curing, pickling, lacto-fermentation and smoking feature heavily across both the food and drinks menus. Pairing flights of natural and biodynamic wines, and an alternative no or low flight which includes non-alcoholic cocktails, cider vinegar shrubs and kombuchas are offered to compliment the meal. Bottles and jars of their inventive creations adorn the shelves of the restaurant, they become a talking point for guests and allow for curiosity to take hold. To round off the evening, guests are invited to have a warm fireside sweet treat out on the lawn nestle into the Mendip hillside.
Pairing flights of natural and biodynamic wines, and an alternative no or low flight which includes non-alcoholic cocktails, cider vinegar shrubs and kombuchas are offered to compliment the meal. Bottles and jars of their inventive creations adorn the shelves of the restaurant. They become a talking point for guests and allow for curiosity to take hold.
The Autumn menu draws on the bounty of summer where insect pollinators, for a few months of lockdown, had the run of the place. The uniquely warm spring—blossom in abundance, busy bees, moths and wasps doing their uninterrupted work. This culminated in the most remarkable year for wild fruits, berries, cobnuts and garden growth that the restaurant has ever known. Much of the joy for Matthew and Iain has been capturing and preserving this harvest to serve a menu that reflects a sense of what is possible when nature and the natural cycles are given space and time. After a slow meal full of wonder and enjoyment, guests are invited to have a warm fireside sweet treat out on the lawn nestled into the Mendip hillside. This is field to table dining at its best. A unique culinary adventure that provides nourishment for the mind, body and soul.
The past twenty years have seen a race to the bottom for the majority of UK restaurants. Operating margins were historically around 15% annually near the turn of the millennium. Now, an industry-wide survey shows it closer to 3-4% for those that manage to break into profit. Most independent restaurants are competing with international corporate giants that use complicated accountancy to offset costs and lessen their tax burden. Those same outfits use low welfare ingredients to increase margin, meaning that customer expectation on price or value of food has shifted. It’s not working in favour of independent restaurants; even those that get past the most challenging first three years (during which most will go out of business). Six years into the project, The Ethicurean almost went the same route and faced near financial collapse. Determination, personal financial sacrifice and choosing not to dilute their principles ensured they made it through.
As an employer, The Ethicurean strives to offer inspirational, secure and long-term employment opportunities to everyone that commits themselves to business. In practice, this means that they invest in training, operate as a meritocracy, and offer a caring, supportive and open culture. It also means that they are committed to paying their staff the living wage, something rarely seen in the hospitality industry. Matthew and Iain recognise that there is a lack of clarity around service charging and tipping, which can impact on the straightforward enjoyment of a meal out. As part of the reinvention of The Ethicurean format, they are introducing two new elements to their booking policy. Payment will be required upon booking to give the business confidence that income can be generated to pay their staff and related costs. Secondly, service charge will be included on food in the overall cost.
The Ethicurean are looking to the future for positive change. They plan to re-open in October as a restaurant with a smaller capacity and just Friday – Sunday services. Long hours and short breaks are common in the industry, and the mental health of workers can be directly impacted by this. The reduced number of covers and services at The Ethicurean means that work life balance will be much more even for their team. By including service charge into the bill and making changes to their service structure and booking system, they hope to run a business that serves and nourishes both guests and staff in equal measure. It will take years of undoing the flaws in the industry to get to a point where the energy put in by the workers is reflected in their financial gain. The Ethicurean team are paving the way for change, the hope is that others are able to follow suit.
Booking for ‘The Ethicurean Experience’ and ‘The Ethicurean Lunch’ are open and full details can be found at www.theethicurean.com.
Summer meets autumn in this fool-proof dessert recipe
Lavender & Ginger Cheesecake
Ingredients Lavender sugar:
100g caster sugar
3tsp dried lavender
Cheesecake base:
250g ginger biscuits
50g lavender sugar
60g butter, melted
Filling:
360g cream cheese
150g double cream
10g icing sugar
50g lavender sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
Fresh lavender sprigs, to, decorate
Method: 1) Break up the biscuits and blitz in a blender or food processor. Stir in the lavender sugar.
2) Pour the melted butter into the biscuit crumbs. Press the crumbs into the base and sides of a 20cm round loose based tart tin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3) Whip together the cream cheese and lavender sugar. Set aside.
4) Whip the double cream and icing sugar until peaks form. Fold the double cream into the cream cheese mixture before stirring in the vanilla.
5) Transfer the cheesecake filling to the biscuit base. Decorate with sprigs of fresh lavender and refrigerate for one hour before serving.
To celebrate it being National Seafood Week why not try this fishy recipe prepared by the Head Chef of Colquhoun’s Restaurant at the Lodge on Loch Lomond, Stefano Cifaldi (you can read our review of the fabulous Lodge on Loch Lomond here):
Pan Fried Sea Trout with a Fricassee of Seasonal Vegetables, Confit Potatoes, and a Shellfish Broth
Sea Trout 4x Sea Trout Fillets (approx 200g each)
Fricassee of Vegetables 50g Garden Peas 50g Samphire 100g Asparagus 100g Tenderstem Broccoli 100g Maris Piper Potato
Shellfish Broth 2 tbsp of oil 1 tbsp of butter 1kg langoustine shells, lobster shells, crab shells or prawn shells (or a mix), broken into pieces with any juices reserved 1 onion, diced 1 small leek, finely sliced 1/2 fennel, finely sliced 1 celery stick, finely sliced 1 small carrot, finely sliced 1/2 garlic bulb, cloves smashed and skin left on 2 tbsp of tomato purée 200ml of brandy, dry sherry or white wine 2 bay leaves 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
Method
Start by making the shellfish broth, Heat a tablespoon of the oil and the butter in a large stock pot. Add the shells (and any juices that have leaked out of them) and cook over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes. The shells should be in one layer on the bottom of the pan to enable proper caramelisation. If you are using langoustines or prawns, use a rolling pin to crush the heads open. Once nicely coloured, transfer the shells to a bowl
Deglaze the pan: turning the heat up high and adding about 50ml of the brandy. Turn the heat back down and use a spatula to scrape the pan clean. Tip these juices into the bowl of shells
Add the remaining oil, once hot, add the chopped vegetables and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until caramelised.
Add in the tomato puree and cook out for 2 minutes
Add the shells into the pot along with juices. Pour in the remaining brandy and reduce by half.
Top up with water to about 3cm above the shells. Bring to boil and skim off the scum
Add coriander seeds, bay leaves, thyme and simmer uncovered for 2–3 hours. Periodically skim off impurities floating on surface
Place a colander over a large bowl and line with muslin or a thin, tea towel. Pour the pan’s contents into the colander. Crush the shells.
Return the stock to pan and reduce down by half until thickened to a gravy consistency.
Dice the potatoes and boil them for a few minutes but don’t overcook them.
Prepare the rest of the vegetables and cook them in salted boiling water. Drain and toss them in melted butter along with the potatoes and season. Set aside.
Heat some oil in a non-stick frying pan and place the trout skin side down, fry on a medium heat and leave on the skin until the trout is two thirds of the way cooked then flip and add a knob of butter and baste the fish for a minute or so – then remove from the pan.
Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of shellfish sauce in the bottom of a bowl, place the fricassee of vegetables in the middle of the bowl and arrange it so the vegetables are nicely presented. Place the trout on top of the vegetables. Add Sea Sandwort, Sea Aster, Sea Arrowgrass as optional garnish.
We all emerged from the pandemic lockdown, different people. We went into it with a hankering for some great food and cocktails, and we have come out slightly less hungry, but thirstier than ever before. We went along to The Ivy in Leeds to check out the ‘new normal’ post-pandemic dining experience in style.
Spoiler alert: dining out post-pandemic is 95% the same as it was before. Now, you can expect the tables to be further away, cashless payments encouraged pre-bookings, and more stringent cleaning. Erm, hello, aren’t these all great things? The Ivy, doing nothing by halves, has taken your personal safety and hygiene to the next level and has provided branded bottles of gorgeous hand sanitiser at the table.
Anyone who’s visited an Ivy Brasserie before (there are 33 of them now just in England alone, plus another four across Ireland, Scotland and Wales) will know that the menu is vast, and something certain from your visit is that at one point, you will be absolutely spoiled for choice.
If, by some miracle, you haven’t melted during the heatwave, you’ll be super glad to know that The Ivy has launched their summer menu, with dishes like quinoa and watermelon salad, or blackened cod fillet. But fear not, nobody is stopping you from tucking into a shepherd’s pie in 33-degree heat should you so wish.
Thrifty foodies will be very happy to know that The Ivy is taking part in Eat Out to Help Out scheme with a new bespoke set menu from Monday to Wednesday in August, saving a tenner on a two-course menu that would usually be £30, or three courses at £35 (pre-discount). Nice one, Rishi!
This new set-menu narrows down the options to three choices per course, but is somehow still just as difficult to choose as before. To start, choose between yellowfin tuna carpaccio with jalapeño and avocado sauce, crispy five-spice duck salad, or a stunning mozzarella with grapes, mint and hazelnuts. Tough right? And that’s before you get to the mains of a roasted beef filet drizzled in truffle sauce, lobster and tomato linguine, or grilled sea bass fillet with smoked aubergine. It’s like choosing a favourite child and we don’t even have kids.
To finish on a very high note, there’s a frozen berry and sorbet selection pitted against a baked apple tart with ice cream, but the third contender makes this an unfair fight. You guessed it, it’s the chocolate bombe. Get your Insta-stories at the ready for this culinary cabaret!
Between the lobster linguine and the chocolate bombe, washed down with a very carefully selected wine, it’s the same Ivy we have grown to love. There are some very small differences of course. When you arrive, pass no further than the floral entrance archway and you’ll be temperature-scanned. But we say, better they scan us on the way in than the way out, four months of lockdown and it doesn’t take much wine to fire us up.
