The Ivy Asia St Paul's — Restaurant in London

Ivy Asia : St Paul’s Cathedral.

Well, Im seriously sad and disappointed to be writing this. The Ivy Asia was a first for us. Celebrating our anniversary and also using a gift given to us for an afternoon tea. We arrived on time as booked, we were given a nice warm welcome and shown to our seats. We were given 3 menus. Nothing was explained to us as to how the process works. The waitress came to ask us for drinks. The voucher we had was a ‘Champagne Afternoon Tea’. We’re not big Champagne lovers at all therefore we asked if we could exchange the ‘Champagne’ for another beverage. The waitress went to ask. A polite server came along and explained that the voucher was just for the staff to be aware that it is for an ‘afternoon Tea’ but we were able to order anything and the monetary value would be deducted from our bill. We were told this would be approx £66. We therefore ordered 2 cocktails. We waited and still weren’t told how things work. Our food arrived off the afternoon Tea menu. The dry ice hadn’t been ‘activated’. The server then told us what the food was. We then started to eat. No drinks had still arrived at this point. An order of our Teas had also been given. We waited and waited and then ended up asking for the drinks; eventually they arrived. Whilst I was eating, mid flow, a dumpling in my chopsticks 🥢, the waitress then came over, took away some dishes and also the plate I was using whilst in mid flow, replacing it with a new one!!! I was not happy. Where is the etiquette in this? I then asked to see a supervisor. Having worked in the catering industry this is horrendous customer service. You never clear a table until the customer has finished their meal and you never clear their plate mid flow of eating. A supervisor came. I explained what had happened. The supervisor, quite rightly, went to check what had happened. He came back and apologised for the service provided. He offered any alternative food we’d like, to be ordered again and also a round of drinks. I said I didn’t want to make a fuss but more for feedback for progression. The supervisor was very nice, polite and accommodating. He said if we’d like anything else to let him know. We never saw him after that, he disappeared!!! He informed us that he had cleared our bill and we would not have to pay anything. When eating our desserts, no spoons were provided. We were expected to eat desserts with chopsticks. My wife then, again, had to request some spoons. The experience got from bad to worse to be honest. I then read some reviews on Google and it said it all. Poor customer service. I was highly highly disappointed as this was my first ‘Ivy Asia experience’, an anniversary gift and also something I was really looking forward to. We left deflated and disappointed. We are regular visitors to ‘The Ivy’ and have never had customer service or an experience like today. I hope The Ivy Asia are able to learn from this experience and to rectify any errors and enhance their reputation by scrubbing up on errors as such. The only positive aspect I can highlight is the atmosphere/environment, which was amazing! Thank you for the...

Based on the reviews and comments I was expecting a very good client service and quality food, but was a disappointment.

It was an experience.. , not at all within the standards I’m used to and price vs service leaves too much to comment! I will be honest and say that thanks to the room metre the night was saved. In terms of food quality; once my night was ruined I couldn’t appreciate the food as I was in pure pain; to better explain; I specifically, clearly specified , and I mentioned this 3/4 times, that I can’t eat spicy food due to stomach serious problems. I always questioned if the food has spicy and was told NO. My boyfriend also made sure to confirm no spicy in my food order. The stake was absolutely fabulous; I asked for rice to go with the steak and in-spite of asking for the rice not to be spicy and given the guarantee that I had no spicy; I was given an highly spicy rice possible, to a point my eyes were crying. . And it took just 1 full spoon (the rice smelled really nice) for my stomach to start contracting and I was in pure pain (spent the rest of the week not able to eat only chicken soup because of that). I tried to save the night, but the damage was done! The dessert options was absolutely fabulous. The service was very slow and not paying to much importance to the clients, probably because most people go there for the social media pic, so they don’t care very much for client focus service, I do. They would bring us the orders twice (bad coordination/organisation) and to aggravate my irritation spicy food. I asked for salt and was served with kitchen salt in a plate, all the restaurants I go, never that happen before to my unpleasant surprise in such expensive restaurant. I must say that, in defence of the place, it has a truly nice decoration, it has a romantic fun vibe. However the music has too loud we couldn't have a conversation.

I must thank the room metre, as soon I raised a complaint and point out the several issues we were having; he automatically took charge and tried to do his best to same what was no longer our romantic night out. But he definitely made me see the potential of the place with a good client...

Fantastic Food, Terrible Service ⛩️

Set amidst the backdrop of the stunning St Paul’s Cathedral, and with a drop dead gorgeous Asian inspired interior, the Ivy Asia has all of the hallmarks to offer a truly special one of a kind dining experience 🥢

Upon our arrival we were seated at the chefs table, overlooking the kitchen and having a fantastic panoramic view of St Paul’s. Watching the incredible dishes be prepared in front of our very eyes was a treat to behold 🍣🍱

When our food arrived we were treated to some of the most awe inspiring dishes and flavours we have ever tasted, with the smoking ribs falling off the bone, and the lobster fried rice being filled to the brim with spices and meat. Our food was second to none! 🌟 We also tried the spicy edamame beans, and wow what a treat 🫛 🌶️

However, our experience was well and truly let down by the service. At every point of the evening we were left waiting for any sort of service, waiting half an hour for drinks to be offered, another half an hour for food to be ordered and then after the food eventually arrived, no one ever came to take our dishes, offer further drinks or desserts. Once we had finished our meals we spent a whole hour waiting for service, and once I had asked a waiter for the bill, we waited a further 30 minutes before having to ask another waiter to speak to the manager. When the manager never came to speak to us, we very nearly walked away without paying, however I eventually searched the restaurant for the manager myself, who game me the bill in person and took off the service fee as compensation.

We understand a busy London service must be incredibly difficult to manage, especially at a restaurant as high status as the Ivy, however this level of appalling service was a level too far and so despite the incredible cuisine presented to us by the Ivy Asia’s fantastic chefs, I cannot in good faith recommend this restaurant with service this poor.

I hope to one day return, with the optimism that this establishment can reach its true potential.

🌟 Recommendations: Lobster Fried Rice 🦞 Edamame beans 🫛 BBQ Ribs 🍖

⛔️ Drawbacks: Abysmal...