ON A bustly Friday night, even seasoned Londoners like myself might get a little lost strolling through the jumbled, 17th-century streets and alleyways of Covent Garden. I usually just find it amusing navigating around the area, seeing where each turn leads, unless of course time is pressing.
Good fortune and great plans saw my friend and me stepping out of the Central London commotion and into the elegance and warmth of The Ivy restaurant on West Street, THE original.
The Ivy West St
With the current spirit of the 1990s blowing through London’s art establishments – as in Tate Britain’s ‘The ’90s: Art and Fashion’ exhibition, The Ivy has assembled a nostalgic ‘Cool Brittania’ menu highlighting all time British favourites which continues throughout November.
As we look back to that decadent, ‘cool’ era, Britain had become an alluring focus for its cutting-edge fashion, music, art, theatre, tv shows and magazines.
What did cool Londoners do in the 90’s? Well, we went clubbing in underground venues and stayed home the next day and watched episodes of ‘Absolutely Fabulous’. We went second-hand clothes shopping in street markets and charity shops, blending found treasures effortlessly with designer pieces. We saw indie and Brit Pop bands play at live venues in Camden and Holloway, and went to independent and West End theatre in Covent Garden where actors like Rhys Ifans and Jude Law, Samantha Morton, Kate Winslet and Minnie Driver were all young rising stars.
Cocktails at The Ivy
There were special places – cocktail bars, restaurants and clubs where the celebrity Cool Britannia set liked to go, and The Ivy has always been that one most memorable restaurant. The theatrical and literary set were known to frequent The Ivy and gradually the cool. young, pop brigade discovered the establishment. And it was always quite the quest to score a reservation at this special jewel of a place. Noel and Liam Gallagher from Oasis, Alex James from Blur, Richard Ashcroft from The Verve, each of The Spice Girls, The YBA’s like Tracey Emin, Damian Hirst and Marc Quinn all enjoyed the buzzy warmth of The Ivy.
And as the best of the Brits frequented the restaurant, soon celebrated Americans were also attracted to the charm and splendid vibe of The Ivy, stars like Madonna, Jack Nicholson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt, Jack Black, Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler, John Malkovich, Kevin Spacey, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
One of the special lures has been that it is a place where high-profile people feel warmly welcomed with understated courtesy and great standards of respect and discretion whilst guests while away the hours with long, wine-laden lunches and evening cocktails with dinner.
The Ivy’s menu has always highlighted British favourites – and the ‘Cool Brittania’ menu features starters like potted shrimp served with seasoned brown shrimp butter, dill-pickled cucumbers and granary toast, and ham hock terrine served with picalilli, baby leaves, also with granary toast. Main courses include the richly savoury Shepherd’s Pie, the soul-warmingly delicious Fish Pie, and perfectly grilled 8 oz sirloin of beef. Save room for the likes of Sticky Toffy Pudding with dates, clotted cream with lemon balm and toffee sauce, and Blackberry Posset, compote, thyme and lemon shortbread amongst others.
The Ivy
The Ivy is a hive of warmth and leisurely dining, with it’s Art Deco influenced interior, elegant lighting, formal, classic place settings and colourful stained glass and diamond-paned windows — allowing light but nothing else in from the nearby bustling streets.
As it was a busy Friday evening and whilst making reservations, table availability was down to zero, my dear friend and I decided to dine at the luminous, sculpted, honeyed onyx central bar at The Ivy, West Street, with its comfy rose-pink coloured bar chairs. From where we sat, we could enjoy the charm of most of the entire dining room and the most charm from the incredible bartenders who have impeccable timing and a perfect degree of friendliness.
This was such a delightful place for us to catch up on our own conversations over an icy vodka martini and dinner with wine, and by the end of our evening, we had joined in conversation with the delightful guests beside us. These two were on their way to see the multi-award winning musical comedy, ‘Operation Mincemeat’, at the nearby Fortune Theatre -this is TODAY’s cool Britannia!
Although bar dining may be considered somewhat unusual, we loved that it was a front row seat to the heart of the restaurant and a great way to discover more about the restaurant itself and its patrons. For me, this IS Cool Britannia – a touch of insouciance, a natural desire for a convivial experience and a sense of occasion in a fun, delicious dinner with a dear friend.
by Susie Babchick
‘Cool Brittania’ menu available at The Ivy, 1-5 West Street, WC2H 9NQ
Cool Brittania’ menu is available through the end of November. Two courses: £39.95 and three courses: £49.95
Booking dinner reservations have to pre-book the ‘Cool Brittania’ menu
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