The Ivy Richmond Brasserie — Restaurant in London

I’ll start by acknowledging that we booked a table at 10pm on a Monday (we had all been at an AGM prior, so all sober, this was not some drunken barrelling in situation), which is pushing it a bit, and on top of that we booked for 3 and ended up being 5. That being said, we booked the table online so if a late table was going to be a problem, then the bookings should have been closed.

Our experience was truly, beyond words, shockingly bad. It’s the next day and I remain in a little bit of a state of disbelief about how poor the service was, particularly given the number of staff working compared to the number of tables in the restaurant - there was really no excuse.

It was such a comedy of errors that I can’t outline every single problem, so here is a sample: I ordered a glass of Champagne with my starter from two different members of staff on 4 different occasions and it took 10 minutes to arrive. Yes, one single glass of champagne required that level of following up. What doesn’t help is that I got told it was on its way only to moments later see the waitress putting it thru because clearly the manager from whom I’d originally ordered hadn’t (y’all, I ran restaurants for 10 years, I know what’s going on) My cod was overcooked and so dry I could barely swallow it We ordered port with our cheese, got presented with a pudding wine saying there was no port in the fridge and this was the closest they could offer. Port doesn’t go in a fridge, one of our party could see it on the shelf quite clearly. How can you have staff not knowing the difference between Port and pudding wine?! Port is not a particularly fancy drink. Also by the way we ordered the port at the same time as the cheese and we had finished the cheese by the time they worked out apparently not having port. Again this is absolutely basic hospitality 101 and the staff were clearly clueless

In the end, we ordered separate drinks, which took another age (the bar service all up was absolutely appalling, and every time I looked over it seemed they either didn’t know what they were doing and/or moving at something resembling a glacial pace), and then the manager had the nerve to usher us out the door!

We would have been done and dusted had anyone in that restaurant managed to muster up something approaching decent service! To add either insult to injury or hilarity to stupidity depending on your point of view, I told the manager at least twice that the service wasn’t great, and still the bad service continued and THEY STILL INCLUDED SERVICE ON THE BILL!!!!

That’s what really tops it off for me, the complete lack of acknowledgment of how utterly useless they were being despite being told?! Not an apology, not an offer of coffee, not…improvement in the service?! It sort of blows your mind if you think about it.

All up, I’d say steer clear and go next door to Megan’s or down the street to Scott’s if you’re after dinner. Sod it, go over the road to Five Guys and you’d probably have a more enjoyable hospitality experience.

PS: had anybody made any effort to acknowledge what we were telling them and our generally obvious frustration, I probably wouldn’t have found myself posting this review but clearly the staff don’t listen to customers when they’re...

It was packed when we came in for our champagne lunch I was gifted. The staff was fast and attentive, but because it was so many people everywhere I felt like I was sitting in the lap of the person next to me and it was high volume of talking. A bit stressful especially with my social anxiety sometimes.

Food was both good and not so good, the starter I chose was a burrata. The mashed peas wasn't my cup of tea but I suppose some people like it. Mashed peas has a weird grainy consistency and is not salty enough to accommodate the burrata. Classic juicy pesto is way better. The pine nuts on top was not necessary, they tasted like nothing. The "cracker" on top was hard to chew and old rubbery. The burrata itself was dry and more like a mozarella, I've had loads better in for example Ave Mario, Carlotta etc. The main was great and fresh, had pan fried salmon with creamed spinach. Yum. Desserts was not good, my wife had creme brulé and she was sad that the top wasn't cracking when she put her spoon through it. Very underwhelming. My dessert was berries with youghurt. The berries came straight from the freezer and was literally rock hard and like chewing ice. I was full at that point so I didn't complain because I didn't want the trouble of getting another dessert. The white chocolate sauce on top of the berries was great.

All in all, if I'd paid the £120 for lunch myself I would have been quite unhappy with the standard of food served but was ok because it was a gift.

The waiters was fantastic.

Might be back to try dinner but I know many more places with a nicer...

We had a delightful dinner at this charming spot in Richmond to celebrate a birthday and wedding anniversary. Seeking a break from the hustle and bustle of central London, we opted for this local gem, and it didn’t disappoint.

Ambiance: The ambiance was lovely, warm, and inviting, though the restaurant was quite busy, which added to its lively atmosphere.

Drinks and starters: We began with the Little Helper Colada and Christmas Colada, creative takes on the classic Piña Colada. Both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions were delicious, though I was slightly disappointed that they didn’t come with the adorable snowman garnish shown on the menu. For starters, we tried the Zucchini Fritti, a generous portion that was far too large for just two people but paired well with the drinks.

Mains: For the main course, we had the Rendang Plant-Based Curry and the Chicken Supreme Milanese with Truffle Sauce. My partner absolutely loved the chicken dish, while I enjoyed the Rendang curry’s flavors. However, it was packed with carrots, and I would have preferred a mix of vegetables. We also found it needed a touch of salt to enhance the taste.

Dessert: We received a complimentary birthday dessert, which was a thoughtful gesture. While it was adorable, the brioche bun was a bit on the dry side and could have been softer.

Service: The service was excellent, and we felt well looked after throughout the evening.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. While there were minor areas for improvement, the food, drinks, and service made for a memorable evening...