the ivy chelsea garden

like it's sister restaurants in covent garden, the original ivy and the newer ivy market grill, the menu is a mixture of hearty british comfort food and a healthier options. the choices on the menu looked awesome and kelly and i agreed we could have easily eaten our way through the whole menu!

we both wanted two courses, and as i prefer savoury i chose to have a starter while kelly chose to save herself for dessert. my scallops were cooked just right and were served with grapefruit, fennel salad and citrus dressing. the combination of grapefruit and citrus dressing meant the dish was very acidic and i would warn you against it if you don't like bitter flavours. however, i loved the flavour combination and i happily munched on it whilst chatting to kelly and sneakily scanning the other patrons for made inchelseacast members.

the vibe

a place with a terrace, an orangery and an ambience described as “approachable sophistication” fits perfectly into this spacious spot on chelsea’s most lauded street. an institution so sure of itself that even evening standard journalists couldn’t name drop their way in, this place is the epitome of discretion and feels truly grown up.

the order

breakfast here feels a little like a five star hotel, without the hefty price tag and egg station. if you’re pre-work, go for a city slick egg white omelette or scrambled eggs with smoked salmon – alongside juices of every colour and a double shot espresso to set you off. those keen to linger longer or possibly luxuriate post night before can enjoy a full english in this most quintessential of establishments.

the game

we went for breakfast but the menu is all day and the garden is a true delight on warm afternoons and evenings. book ahead – no one inchelsealikes to cook for themselves so the tables turn quicker than the sports cars outside. evening wise, eat first (for fear of missing your spot) then squeeze in at the bar afterwards or cosy up on a sofa. if the weather’s playing ball, a walk to the river after will guarantee delight with the sight of albert bridge all lit up.

the faults

it’s chelsea. very chelsea.

sex factor

4. pure class.

good food, beautiful interiors like an indoor garden.*top picks* - grilled fish, soup, sweet potato sidesemojimeter (out of 3):veg options: 🍏 portion size: 🍴🍴  drinks: 🍸🍸i've eaten at most other ivy's and this was one of the nicest to visit. pretty interiors and decoration with pots and plants blending the indoor with the outdoor. could be part of the decoration withchelseain bloom, or otherwise.not too much vegetarian options although we did find a few main and sides. the sides and starters, like the sweet potatoes, were a good portion size but the main was a little small. although the food tasted really well but the vegetarian options had a very similar dressing. the smoothies were refreshing but with a bit too much ice.note: duck liver parfait - do not order it if you haven't tried it before. i had to let the whole thing go to waste as i did not like it at all. the service was prompt but there was a slow sequence - someone took us to our seats, someone else brought the food and someone else served it. we saw our guy waiting with the food on the side for a while until the person serving it was free. its a good atmosphere but it causes delays and it reduces the need to build a relationship with who is serving you (check out review of sushi samba).

i had nice delicious breakfast in the ivychelseagarden. nice ambiance and welcoming staff. good high quality service and food. highly recommended and make sure to do early booking as it’s required.
we had scrambled eggs with baked beans and hallomi cheese, poached eggs and pancakes with strawberry and berries and greek yogurt.

the kings road has been off my radar for years. i used to work over this side some 10 plus years ago at a hotel near south kensington. i had a friend who worked at reiss on the kings rd, so there was the odd visit to a local pub but nothing much more than that.

fast forward to 2017 and i now work for a company which has a site on the kings road, so i have been reintroduced. so recently i stopped off at thechelseaivy brasserie which is essentially a chain these days. opening new branches at a dizzying speed, before the paint is dry at one, there goes another one popping up. this will be my third ivy visit having done kensington high street and liverpool street.

this visit was not offensive, but not mind blowing either. whilst good service, decent food and reasonable prices make an appearance, it feels souless. the team hit all the service cues but with little personality. the food is ok, but as it's from the strong original celebrity brand ivy in covent garden, there is an expectation that it should pack more. that said, it is still a nice place to visit every now and then.

to start our dining experience we went for a starter of tempura prawns with green papaya, cucumber, edamame and matcha tea sauce to share. for our main course, i was feeling the pan asian vibe so went for blackened cod fillet, not to be confused with black cod. it was baked in a banana leaf with baby pak choi, shaved radish, toasted sesame and yuzu mayonnaise. the code melted in the  my mouth and its sauce was not too over powering. my guest went for something a little bit more traditional and opted for the fish and chips. the cod was in a very delicate bitter, with chunky chips. what was also quite nice, was the fact that it came with a wee bottle of vinegar. we also shared a side of tenderstem broccoli with lemon oil and sea salt.

it's a big menu, but with a lot of classics from all over the place. not quite british, not just french, not asian - just something for everyone. what you definitely have to check out when you visit is the sprawling garden towards the rear. i suspect in the summer this is a beautiful space.

brunch is one of my favourite meals. it’s that wondrous middle ground where it’s acceptable to drink alcohol with your first meal of the day, gorgeously runny eggs come with everything and you can have dessert with your breakfast. what’s not to love?. last week i spent the weekend visiting my cousin sophia patricia mai inchelseawhere she introduced me to brunch at the ivychelseagarden.

the ivychelseagarden is a restaurant and a cafe located in kings road. the distinctive and superb christmas decorations on the outside of the restaurant make it conspicuous and easy to be found. it's the breathtaking view that no one should miss out on. the garden is full of wonderful plants and colourful flowers. the food on the other hand was quite good. the cheese omelette was delicious and juicy. the spinach benedict was good but it had a bit too cream. the avocado toast was a let down unfortunately; it didn't have a distinctive taste. the service was great and the staff were really helpful. the place is more about the view than the food itself.

the ivychelseagarden is a beautiful rose that popped up in a former plot of manure.  it’s so different from the bar/restaurant/blackout location that used to be there, i was skeptical. how could something so awesome exist where so many horrendous smells and bad decisions had come from?. apparently before you get married you need to take every opportunity to drink out of penis straws.

if you are in london on a sunny day, then you must go the brunch at the ivychelseagarden. pick a table a the terrace and sip away on champagne and enjoy the weather and the food. the lobster benedict is superb very juicy and filling. pancakes are a great pairing as they have some orange zest in them and the best part they come with crispy bacon that are divine. it's a great outdoor venue and great for a sunday brunch.

you need seriously influential contacts, it seems, to get into the new ivychelseagarden, a robert caring owned sister restaurant to the shepherd’s pie haven of fame in soho. one of london’s it restaurants of the moment and supposedly a celeb haunt, getting a table here is a definite and desirably flauntable mark of high society status.

despite having lived in london for over 20 years, i have never been to one of the city’s most iconic restaurants, the ivy. and i still haven’t been however i have been able to try their newly opened, west london branch  on the kings road a couple of weeks ago. occupying what used to be local american style bar and grill henry j bean’s, i visited the ivychelseagarden on a crisp but very bright april morning with my friend and fellow blogger and photographer giulia aka mondo mulia (her post here). the venue inside has been completely revamped: gone are the dark wood, pub-like panels and the 90s style trestle table i remember. the large dining room is now elegantly decorated in period parisian bistro style with opulence and plenty of gilded mirrors and plants. the bar itself is grand and takes centre stage in the indoor space however the piece de resistance is certainly the garden at the back. a very large space, it has now been furnished like picture perfect outdoor entertaining areas, with striped cushions, log fire and wide canopies interspersed with shrubs and greens.

the ivychelseagarden is a beautiful rose that popped up in a former plot of manure. it’s so different from the bar/restaurant/blackout location that used to be there, i was skeptical. how could something so awesome exist where so many horrendous smells and bad decisions had come from?

the ivychelseagarden opened up last month on the old site of henry j beans on the king's road. i used to be a huge fan of henry j beans as it was where i had my first ever date (many years ago) and also the venue of many fun nights out. however now as the ivychelseagarden, it couldn't be more different…..it looks amazing! it really has the wow factor - very light, luxurious, lots of green and plenty of mirrors everywhere and the la piece de resistance is the beautiful garden and terrace at the back.

the ivy atchelseagarden is the perfect place if you want to hang out and people watch in a lovely setting, particularly on a nice day when you can sit outside in the garden. the food is definitely secondary to the vibe and the ambiance and the service is ok but won't blow you away.

i first heard of this restaurant after reading some reviews in the press and unlike many other diners who had been to the ivy and wanted to compare this, i had not been to its more famous sister restaurant. however, i kept it in mind as a place to explore if i am ever back in thechelseaarea, and sure enough, one weekday just a few weeks later, i found myself exactly there to meet a friend for lunch.

we parted with tradition and decided not to make any bookings for a retsaurant but as my train was pulling in, i suddenly remembered this place. what's the likelihood of getting a reservation at 0 hours notice, i wondered. but as it turns out, the likelihood is rather good! we jus turned up on a monday lunch time and asked for a table for 2 and were seated immediately.not in the garden area i must add, beggars can't be choosers. but we were quite happily placed in a corner table with a view of the buzz of kings road.

our waiter on the day had a unique sense of humour, not one that the two of us necessariy warmed to but it irritated me from the outset when my friend asked for tap water and the waiter serving us stared at her as if she had just spat in the water. i'm sorry but if i can drink tap water in my own home, then i'm certainly not too snobby to drink it when i'm out, unless of course you are implying that it's not safe to drink it in your restaurant (in which case you probably should be shut down) so i draw a line at waiting staff who could win trophies for their stuck up behaviour.

we were both in the mood for a sandwich/bready hearty lunch and i couldn't get past the fried fish burger. definitely not the healthiest thing i could have ordered i'll admit that but the batter was light and i was told later that it is beer battered. i could not quite finish the chips and frankly, these were quite unmemorable in taste so i did not waste my calorie allowance on them!

we probaly did not need a starter or nibbles but the truffled arancini sounded very tempting after recently returning from tuscany where truffle is so prominent. and i was impressed to find them served piping hot and seemingly freshly made with that potent scent of truffle filling our table.

when it came to ordering desserts, we pondered over whether to stay put or to explore one of the neighbouring cake shops. i couldn't be more glad that we decided to take the lazy option, stay put and choose to order the chocolate honeycombe ice cream bombe with salted caramel sauce that unfolded as the hot sauce was poured over it.

i first had a dessert like this at gordon ramsay petrus and then on a second occasion at bob bob ricard (and my 3rd was abroad) so it seems that these unfolding chocolate spheres are rather en vogue) but this was hands down the best of the lot with the beautiful saltiness of the caramel sauce contrasting with that indulgent crunchy sweetness from the honeycomb. it was quite a rich dessert, which i was glad to be sharing but it was a delicious way to round off our meal.

it was a nice enough meal overall though it was costly cosidering we basically had nibbles to share, desserts to share, a main each and a non alcoholic drink. i liked the main dishes but i certainly cannot say that they wowedd me - for a really delicious fish burger, i would much more highly recommend fish dog
s at brockly market but the chocoltale bombe here was a standout, though i'm not sure i would come all the way back for it.

as for the service, it was another example of achelsearestaurant where many of the staff need to learn what customer service actually involves and little effort was made on their part above and beyond the forced pleasantries required.