The Ivy St Albans Brasserie — Restaurant in St Albans

My wife and I enjoyed a very relaxing and very pleasant evening with the team at The Ivy, St Albans. We were out for my wife's birthday on a Monday evening and we've not been to this restaurant before.

We were greeted warmly when we arrived and shown to our seats. I was very pleased to see that we'd been seated at a table where I could sit adjacent to my wife instead of the classic table for two where you sit opposite one another. Personally, I prefer to sit adjacent as it's more convenient/intimate to chat and to interact with one another.

We were looked after by Ethan and can I say from the outset here (and from the outset last night) that Ethan was superb: professional, polite, attentive without being obtrusive, relaxed, genuine and all around exactly the sort of front of house ambassador all restaurants need.

Ethan's calm, attentive and very genial manner helped my wife and I relax and just enjoy a nice meal together. For me nuance matters. For example, I'd ordered a bottled drink without ice and before I'd even noticed Ethan brought me a fresh glass (fully dressed with lime and straw, not just empty), without ice. I hadn't even noticed myself! I knocked a fork on the floor and it was replaced without fuss immediately. We needed a little more time to make our meal choices and this was absolutely no problem. I know what you're thinking, these aren't special things but the difference between Ethan and lesser Ethans (Be-nEthens!) is that it's done because he genuinely wanted our experience to be good and no doubt match the experience he would expect if the roles were reversed.

I should also mention that there was another gentleman looking after us who's name I didn't get but who was extremely polite and pleasant and judging by the happy way he interacted with his colleagues was clearly enjoying himself. Italian accent maybe, spectacles, young chap. You know who you are. Thank you also!

Sorry to go on about the team so much but this is the missing ingredient in 99% of your restaurant experiences but when it's done well you'll suddenly realise why it's called the Hospitality industry.

We had Salt and pepper Squid (no parfait left unfortunately boooo ;), Tempura Prawns, Salmon with Hollandaise and veg and Shepherds Pie. My wife had a large glass of red and I was driving so had a diet drink, along with some water for the table.

The food was great. You know when there aren't lists and lists of alternatives that what they do cook they do well. Ethan kept an eye on us and made sure we had enough water and that we were happy with our meal. One thing that made me smile was that we were offered a choice of how the salmon was cooked. I can't remember the last time I've heard anyone offer a fish choice beyond "cooked". Nice to see.

You'll notice a theme here. I'm making sure I relay the nuances of our evening, not just the nuts and bolts.

Dessert was fun. It's not often my wife has pudding but she herself commented on how many appealed to her. I'm just greedy so would have had any/all of them. My wife chose the Apple tart over the creme brûlée (I was shocked! She a brûlée fan!) I chose a childhood favourite Rum Baba. Both of which were delicious (and yes, I helped my wife finish hers). Thanks to Ethan for discretely clearing away the dessert plates without comment, although I'm certain he noted the plate swap. The rum baba was exceptional by the way. It was light and sweet and the rum syrup and cream were delicious!

Coffees and teas were offered but politely we declined and settling the bill was painless, except like many I expect these days I had to dig deep for my card PIN which I remembered so no washing up for us!

One more nuance to mention. The scent in the air on the walk to the toilets was very pleasant. Natural or not I noticed it was there. Nothing special I hear you say. Well, when was the last time that happened to you on the way to the toilet and not the exact opposite! Loos were spotless BTW.

Thank you team The Ivy, St Albans. 10 out of 10 from us.

Thanks again...

Absolutely shocked by the service we received yesterday. Meal was fine, service not rushed. We ate at 3pm on a Saturday so place was relatively quiet. Tea and coffee arrived after our dessert, then a front of house team member came over and, without any warning and having never spoken before, leans across the table and says ‘you have to leave now, immediately, your table is for 2 hours only, you are over your time’.

Taken aback, we explained we’d not been given any warning and had literally just been served hot drinks… she left with no apology.

2 minutes later another member of the team arrived to say the same thing. Still while our drinks are piping hot in front of us. And we’d not at this point been asked if we wanted anything else, or hinted at to move to bar area etc.

For context, the table next to us was empty, lots of other tables nearby were empty. It was 5.20pm on a Saturday, no one in the bar area waiting for a table. I honestly couldn’t believe how embarrassing their staff were and how they couldn’t handle a totally normal situation.

Note: we’d also had 3 courses and drinks so it certainly wasn’t like we’d nursed a tap water and outstayed our welcome.

Explaining the situation the second staff member apologised, and I’m not really sure what the conclusion was but we asked for the bill anyway. She came back, and I mis-heard her say ‘I’ve taken the drinks off the bill’ which would have seemed mildly acceptable given how obscure and rude they had both been… on checking the bill she’d taken off £12.95, the hot drinks only. (They even left on the £15 service charge!).

What a cheap and frankly, offensive, offer! Of course those drinks should be free, you’ve not even let us drink them! An actual apology would have been a genuine admission of wrong doing and something much more substantial by way of actual apology. By that point I didn’t even argue, the first staff member was nowhere to be seen, and second staff member was just interrupting us and making everything more awkward… what a terrible end to an otherwise ok meal.

As we left, around 5.30pm, we collected bags and used bathroom etc… 5 mins after leaving table it was still not cleared, several tables nearby all still empty, and no one in the bar waiting for the table. What was all the fuss about? Awkward, embarrassing, unnecessary.

Won’t ever go to an Ivy again, would never waste my time or money if the staff are that poorly trained and the service so offensive.

And happy to be contacted directly by the restaurant if they read...

We had booked a table for afternoon tea to celebrate a friend's birthday. We traveled all the way from Berkshire to St Albans, expecting a delightful afternoon surprise, only to be met with a series of unfortunate events that marred what was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

Upon arrival, it became apparent that there was a significant discrepancy between what was advertised on your website and what was actually offered. Despite booking specifically for afternoon tea, we were informed that only cream tea was available. This was not only misleading but also a great disappointment as we were eagerly anticipating the full afternoon tea experience, as clearly stated on your website.

Furthermore, when we expressed our desire to explore a different menu, specifically the 1917 menu, we were told by our waiter that it was unavailable due to a lack of ingredients. This was surprising and frankly unacceptable for a reputed high-end restaurant such as yours. The inability to provide a requested menu option reflects poorly on the management of your establishment and raises questions about the overall quality of service and preparation.

In our attempt to address these issues, we requested to speak with the manager. However, rather than demonstrating empathy and understanding towards our predicament, the manager seemed dismissive and unaccommodating. Instead of offering a solution or attempting to rectify the situation, we were met with a refusal to provide any form of compensation or alternative arrangement. This lack of concern for customer satisfaction was deeply disheartening and left us feeling undervalued and disregarded.

To exacerbate matters, the resolution process took an exorbitant amount of time, with over an hour spent in discussions with the manager. This prolonged delay only served to further exacerbate our frustration and disappointment, making what should have been a memorable celebration into a regrettable experience.

From this encounter, it is evident that there are significant shortcomings in the level of service and professionalism exhibited by your staff and management. As loyal patrons of Ivy Restaurant, we expected better treatment and a higher standard of service. Unfortunately, this experience has left us feeling upset, disillusioned, and hesitant to return...