Me and my partner dined at the Ivy Chelsea Garden to Celebrate our 1 year anniversary, it seemed like the perfect place for the occasion and we were very much looking forward to the experience.
We arrived promptly before our booking time as we were already in the area with 15 minutes to wait. The reception we received from the hostesses at the door was very engaging and they were more than happy to sit us down at our table early rather than waiting around which was great! The uniform of the hostesses was very elegant, a long silk red dress which was very glamorous!
Walking into the restaurant has such a wonderful atmosphere, the design and layout is impeccable and remarkably captures the essence of the garden themed restaurant! We were greeted by a waiter who briskly took our order, we felt as if it was slightly rushed as he looked like he was trying to walk away whilst we were discussing the menu, it was a very busy evening which we understand, however for The Ivy we expected a waiter who would’ve allowed time for us.
So for starters, we ordered Zucchini Fritti and Spicy Olives, for our mains we started with the Pea Velouté following The Ivy Hamburger to end the course. Prior to our courses, we ordered Red & White wine to start our evening.
They must be very frantic behind the scenes as my partner’s Red Wine arrived in a sticky glass, with wine underneath the base causing it to stain the tablecloth which wasn’t a great start.
On a more positive note, we were impressed with our starter, the Zucchini Fritti was a large portion which was more than enough when shared between two people, although the fries were quite oily, they tasted delicious. On the other hand, the olives were sublime! The portion was small but definitely worth it, they were packed with flavour from the spices and the quality of the olives itself was outstanding. I would highly recommend ordering this!
Oppositely, the Pea Velouté was disappointing. Despite it looking pretty and well-garnished, it was tasteless and bland. It quite literally just tasted like peas and water which was so unfortunate, we even found the ricotta quite iffy. We did mention this to the waiter when he asked if we enjoyed our soup, in which he agreed himself that it wasn’t his most favourite thing on the menu, and that he wouldn’t recommend it if he were to do so.
About 10 minutes afterwards The Ivy Hamburger arrived at the table. It was quite nice, but I must admit it was nothing special. Considering the Hamburger was a statement meal of The Ivy, I was expecting something slightly more distinctive and special as it’s representative of the restaurant. Although it was nothing more than a regular hamburger with vegetables on the side with fries.
In conclusion, we felt more disappointed than fulfilled when leaving the restaurant as our experience unfortunately didn’t quite meet the expectations in which we were hoping for. In regards to the ambience, the restaurant felt inviting, charming and very picturesque from being surrounded by the premeditated garden themed interior, which will most definitely give you the wow-factor when you walk through the doors.
However, we felt like the wonderful set-up of the restaurant gave us very high expectations in connection with the service and the food. Also with the fact that The Ivy is viewed as being a reputable bar and restaurant, well-known for being quite opulent across the nation.
Overall we found the cuisine quite mediocre as a whole. Although our starters were appetising and flavourful, the mains were more on the substandard side, therefore neutral altogether. In addition to this, we also felt the service we received was indifferent. Yes we were warmly greeted by the hostesses and they made us feel welcome which was fortunate, however from then on, it felt quite rushed and average.
Ultimately, our experience at The Ivy Chelsea Garden was not something we’d cherish in the long run, therefore unfortunately it’s unlikely we will be returning any time in the near future, nor recommending it to others.
