I’ve often thought that it might be nice to go to The Ivy as a family. Our local one is so beautifully decorated, and whilst it is just a brasserie chain, it feels a bit more special than most restaurants. We recently had reason to celebrate (end of exams) and so I contacted them directly to see if they could cater for us and was very happy to receive a positive response saying that they’re be extremely happy to cater for our needs and to speak with the waiter directly. Once I’d found it, the allergen menu online looked quite good and we were surprised that there was a variety of dishes that looked suitable. We still felt that familiar low level anxiety of trying somewhere new, but that’s not uncommon!
Well, it was a superb experience, well beyond our expectations and is definitely a restaurant we will return to. The waiter was fantastic, he immediately said he knew what everything contained, he took down our requirements seriously but without fuss or the wise-cracks that Little S in particular has to deal with. We’d checked the allergen menu and the sourdough bread looked safe so we ordered some, the waiter came back a few minutes later to say he’d been concerned that the information was not correct, had checked and found that it contained milk. Whilst it wasn’t reassuring that the allergen menu online was incorrect, we were pleased that the waiter clearly knew what he was talking about and had been extra vigilant.
We could see our order on the screen with a big allergy order alert which made us feel confident that the kitchen was aware of the order, and the message had got through. Big S ordered a minute steak with chips and watercress. She was given a red wine jus rather than the usual peppercorn sauce, and it came adorned with an allergy flag. The waiter said that they normally cook the steaks in garlic butter, hence why none appeared as options on the allergen menu, but Big S’s was cooked separately and safely. Little S had an option of three choices just from the children’s menu and more from the adult – this is almost unheard of! She chose grilled chicken with chips, tomato sauce and tender stem broccoli. Again it was a great option, came with the allergy flag, the portion size was huge for a kids meal. It was tasty, well cooked, well presented and it was wonderful she could order something off the menu without any alterations. Also, the chips were amazing!
I had a rather delicious halloumi dish with fregola and herb sauce – for a veggie option, care had been taken to give a really well thought out, interesting and tasty dish, rather than the usual afterthought that the veggie choice often is!
We didn’t order any puddings so didn’t check if any were possible, but the waiter did bring Big S a complimentary little raspberry compote with coconut yogurt and toasted coconut flakes to celebrate the end of her exams which was a really lovely touch.
It turns out that we vaguely know the head chef and have since passed on our thanks for a really good and safe experience. He was so pleased to get good feedback, and gave us a full run down of their allergy procedures. Everything is cooked separately, it’s checked three times, the manager takes responsibility to check again and it is even served on a separate tray. He seemed proud of their processes and I can see why, it made us feel confident and relaxed which is a very rare experience in a restaurant.
So top marks and a big allergy applause for The Ivy – we will return with cautious (only because we’re an allergy family and it has to be that way!) confidence the next time we have something to celebrate.
