Junglefresh.'s Reviews

I have to assume that since the last reviews were posted, someone has put in some serious effort with this restaurant. Four of us dined there last week to accomodate the late working of one of our party. The staff were accomodating and helpful, not at all aloof or lacking in engagement. The tables which we occupied were grouped together to help give what is essentially a lunch place (given its geographical location) some atmosphere and the food was, in serious Italian style “correct”. The a la carte prices are stiff though, even before wine, which does detract from the value for money, but then the prices are (I suspect) geared to expense account eating. Overall we were all please with our meals, which did exactly what it said on the menu, and with our evening. So the “bad rap” that the other reviewers here have given the restaurant seems to me to be no longer deserved. Or I could have been lucky ?

I try to see good in every situation: so here's the good bit. I went to Polpo very recently and ate at the bar as it was lunchtime and I was alone. The lady who answers the telephone and seats diners was helpful, friendly, bubbly and cute. The atmosphere was humming and, as I had blundered in not really having looked at the name, I was heartened and expected to exit a satisfied customer. The food was undoubtedly cheap – but though it tasted good there was almost none of it to taste. The apple and prosciuto with tallegio was exactly that – but one tiny slivver of apple, one tiny piece of cheese and possible less than one slice of prosciutto to wrap them in. An “amuse guelle” not a starter. The soft sausage on cabbage was fine, though mean. Tasty and rustic. Now the bad: I asked for a glass of still water, and found myself confronted by a large bottle – I think I should have been told first. The servers behind the bar gave absolutely no impression of wanting to do more than transact, no looking directly at the customers, no engagement. The food was more or less litterally plonked on the bar by someone who walked by without stopping or looking or smiling. At least it arrived quickly. Lastly, I would have had a coffee, but saw the barrista preparing coffees for tables, sticking his fingers inside the little glasses they use – and they (fingers) looked like they needed a good wash. I was too embarrased to dock the 12.5% “discretionary” service charge. Is it me ?

Just wanted to update my earlier review of lunch in September, went there for breakfast this week. A very simple order of coffee and poached egg on hash took 45 minutes to be delivered when the place was 75% empty. Awkward though friendly waitress with no excuse except the kitchen was “slow today as we are short-staffed”. Oh dear, mediocre in September, poor in November. And I used to be a fan.

Apart from the zany pieces of furniture dotted about, I can't see that Mr Loubet has had much effect on the place since the re-badging. I was always happy to go to the old Zetter and I'm now happy to go to the “new one” too. The food is much the same, modern, honest, tasty with ok portions. Good people serving, friendly not servile. Bright room, filtered well-water… Decent enough place to go to for lunch – but nothing to set the pulse racing, which is what a new 'patron" should bring and in my view is what is needed to elevate this review to a 9.

I have read Richard's review but can't really match his level of enthusiasm for my experience, though I would have liked to.. We did not kmow BL – so did not get the friends' frills, “only” what Joe Public gets.

What a shame ! Anyone who has read my reviews (not vain enough to think you do !) will know that I'm a "glass half full' person. So imagine, hard, intense day. Looking forward to trying Trullo out – booking made by our foodie friends who rave about their previous experience. I'm late for the 7.30pm time, unavoidably due to deadlines. Get there to be met outside with desperate young down and out dirty, desperate addict – I can't pass by without giving but am struck at the contrast just behind the glass. Dislike this area, always have. Don't get to do more than kiss my wife and greet our friends before a good looking charming waiter tells me that I can't have a starter as we must vacate the table by 9.30pm. Oh dear, wouldn't have come on this basis – who's supplying whom ? What tosh – ordered cabbage with brown shrimp – prep time 30 seconds, on table within 60. Cost of ingredients, 50p max (nice mark-up!) taste, surprisingly good. Value – not so sure. Wine – friend is knowledgeable so not bad but not cheap at over 22 quid at lower end of list. Onglet – yes the best bit of the meal, not tough and a tasty but again very cheap cut. Followed immediately by a reminder that we must leave and the bill. The staff were apologetic but no less crass. The Squaremeal review above suggests a cheapish place to eat, but the bill for four came to 186 pounds (rounding) which means that although the atmosphere was really quite good and the staff individually trying hard, this is going to rank very low indeed for a return trip even making allowances -as I have- for my own lateness. Sorry.

Given what Raymond Blanc states on the website that he has tried to achieve, I think he's done a magnificent job and an 8 all round rating reflects that (people seem to bandy the highest ratings a bit too readily !). I ate there today at lunch: the place looks like a brasserie, feels like a brasserie and achieves really good, moderately priced brasserie fare. I was entertaining a client there and we both had the cheese souffle followed by the cod and samphire (which I am very fond of) with a glass of the house white wine plus coffee. With a generous tip the total came to just over £71, which was a very pleasant surprise. The food was not earth-shattering, but it was elegant and appropriate. The service was really good – it is nice to be served by real human beings and not automatons who are “dead behind the eyes”. Our waiter had a sense of humour but was neither partonising nor over-familiar. Well done Raymond – both my guest and I told each other we'd go back soon.

All great restaurants have their day, and the Ivy has done well to hold-on as long as it has. I've noticed however that it is getting noticeably easier to get a table here – and harder to celebrity spot (admit it, we all do it !).

I suspect that most of the celebrities have been tempted by membership of the Ivy Club round the corner, where the food is simillar to the expensive end of the Ivy menu, and people can be sure that the others spotting them are there to be spotted as well.

I've been to the Ivy “proper” many times over the years and a couple of times in recent weeks. The food is as good as ever – in other words good, not great. My tip: the duck salad, followed by the corned beef hash with a glass (or shared bottle) of one of the relatively inexpensive white wines available. That, or one of the simple pasta dishes with one of the lighter starters are perfect for a lively and surprisingly good value lunch with a friend or for schmoozing purposes. Just don't expect anyone to notice if you've been there many times or not, or whether you tip well or not: the reception staff will be equally (in)attentive and the service (good or bad depending on the day) unaffected. Sensitivity about which table you have been given will only spoil your enjoyment – I suggest you do as I do, be glad I haven't paid the sub to join the Club so as to pay even more for my meal. The room itself has great atmosphere, especially on a sunny day and I normally emerge happy and envigorated to face the afternoon's work, so I suppose it shows that if you approach the Ivy with the right expectations it rarely disappoints.

Please don't try to drive to the Holly Bush: you'll spend hours trying and you'll end up having to walk a long way! That of course is not the HB's fault. It is in a lovely nook at the top of Holly Hill, and despite the exterior quiet (lots of neighbours), it is absolutely bustling inside, where you will find a young-ish crowd in an unpretentious old-fashioned pub setting.

I first went to the HB some 40 years ago – amazing though that is to me. I was under age, but “got away with it”. Although the place still seems familliar (I have not been there for years), any similarity with the old place is purely co-incidental. Six old friends (three couples) most of whom have known each other since teenage, went there for a meal before going to the Everyman – round the corner – to catch a film on a Saturday evening. I had Cumberland Scotch Egg, followed by Meat and Ale Pie with mash washed down with a pint and a half of lager. Everything was just as it should have been. A number of our party had the fish pie and all pronounced it fishy and satisfying, as (apparently) was the cheap Merlot they were drinking. One person had the prawns in a pint and enjoyed it enormously. When I arrived, the booking had been taken for the wrong time, but the waitress was very helpful and we were soon seated. This typified the service we received which was friendly, but not gushing, and efficient.

In summary: unpretentious, unassuming, unflappable, yet satisfying, decent value for money and an altogether decent place to go.