Kirsten's review of The Ivy

Sadly, I have returned home from my first visit to The Ivy today bitterly disappointed. Being a regular at Le Caprice for the past 3 years and more recently sampling the delights of Scotts, I have to admit I was expecting great things. A casual leaving lunch for a work colleaue, I had effortlessly booked a table online for 4 only days ago and things were looking good.
On arrival today the doorman was delighful, however once inside the cloakroom assistant miserable and unable to find room to place my colleague's overnight case in the secure area and asked her to leave on the windowsill in the entrance area until there was room?
Making way to our table I was very aware that this can no longer be a lunchtime hang out for bright young things – no spring chicken myself at 33 but the average age must have been 65!
We decided to dive straight into a main course with a view to possibly having a dessert afterwards. I chose ‘The Ivy Burger’ which I asked for to be cooked ‘medium’ and recommended to my colleagues the ‘Fish Cake’ which I have lost count of devouring in Le Caprice in the past.
In fairness the girls' ‘Fish Cake’ had a pleasantly familiar look about them and they were all very satisfied on emptying their plates. I on the other hand, can only describe my ‘The Ivy Burger’ as dry, overcooked and slighly charred in places – I'm not sure what kind of ‘medium’ the chef was cooking to? Overdone??
I would have liked the opportunity to have expressed my disappointment with my food, but sadly the waiter in question didn't appear to be concerned with how satisfied we had been with our lunch decided instead to simply clear our plates and wander off. We then had menus thrust under our noses mid-conversation which I assume was cue for us to order dessert? Suffice to say we declined and headed back to the office.
I regret to say that I have been left convinced today that quite possibly The Ivy appears to have become the poor cousin of the Le Caprice Holdings family.
I appreciate I could have just been on the wrong table at the wrong time on the wrong day, however today's experience has just made me want to run straight back to the comforting arms of Le Caprice and never return to The Ivy again. Sorry.