Ivy Kensington delivers tradition with a bit more buzz, a bit less cost

Since the turn of the year, every friend in London's western suburbs has recommended the same restaurant when discussing nights out: The Ivy Kensington Brasserie. Unable to dodge the requests any more, we gave it a try last Friday.

I don't have an issue with The Ivy, it's just never impressed me that much. It's a go-to, dependable standard for corporate entertainment, so I've been there many times. The fact that I've never given it a full review in this blog, but only several mentions within longer articles, is telling. The best experience is probably in the private club section (which I wrote about here).

Part of the allure, no doubt, has always been that it's tough to get a table there, something the owners are doing something about by spinning off four new Ivy restaurants. They all offer the same style of Anglo/British classics, circa 1930, but are less expensive and ... crucially ... hold 40% of their tables back for walk-ins. (Although our table was booked in advance.)

The best things about the new branch on Kensington High Street are the general ambiance, and the bar. The style of the place is of a continental cafe early in the 20th century. The crowd buzzes, the waiters bustle. There's plenty of marble, wood and brass. If brought here blindfolded, upon the reveal you could easily assume you were at The Delauney on Aldwych (review here). Both staff and punters radiate the cheerful confidence of people who know life is treating them well.

There's a traditional wooden bar at the far end of the long, rectangular room, where bartenders in
white tuxedo jackets and black bow ties mix options from a wide cocktail list which combines classics and in-house inventions. I went for "a road less travelled", one of those lovely rum drinks that's so well balanced (in this case with Pernod, pineapple, raspberry and agave) you hardly suspect there's alcohol in there. It's finished with a film of cream and some edible spray onto a stencil that leaves the perfect outline of a fallen leaf on top. Pure theatre. My husband opted for a sticky toffee martini. Yes, they've translated their most famous dessert into alcohol, and it works surprisingly well. Any girl could have a lovely evening sitting at this bar, flirting with the waiters and watching the world go by.

At the table, things are as expected. Classic starters like oysters, steak tartare, smoked salmon, and chicken liver parfait match the atmosphere. The mains are generally straightforward; mostly grilled fish and steaks with shepherd's pie and fish and chips for comfort food and duck curry bringing a hint of the exotic. It's one of those places where the sides are extra (and therefore will inevitably pump up your bill), but the fried matchstick courgettes are worth every penny. On the whole, I think our starters were better than our mains, and you might be better served here going for a mix of the lighter dishes.  They also have a full egg menu (truffled eggs, eggs benedict, eggs royale, etc) that suggests this would be an ideal Sunday lunch location.

Surprisingly, the Ivy's famous sticky toffee pudding is not on the dessert menu. Instead, they seem to be trying to establish the chocolate bombe as their signature. Out comes a chocolate globe, onto which the waiter pours a stream of hot caramel sauce. The chocolate disintegrates under the onslaught, revealing a centre of vanilla ice cream studded with honeycomb. It's a showy performance, but a true dessert lover will find the balance off. There's far too much sweet, fatty cream without a contrast of crunch or sharpness. Once the show had passed, it was essentially a bowl of super-rich melted ice cream, which I wasn't inspired to finish. Which, for me, is very rare. This is a dish best shared between two, and eaten very quickly.

Prices are slightly below the mother restaurant's, with starters in the £7-£10 range and mains averaging around £16. There are bigger differences on the premium items, however. The 280g sirloin will set you back £30 at the original, but £23.50 here. It's still unlikely that you'll get out of here for less than £60 per person for three courses and a couple of drinks, but you'll feel like you got a bit of a deal in comparison to what might have been.

While I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, I understand why it's so popular with locals, and I predict these Ivy spin-offs will have a long and prosperous future.