Visit the homepage of the Ivy and the word that stands out most strongly is ‘modern’, which prefixes the perhaps less glamorous ‘British restaurant’ descriptor. Sceptics might suggest a case of trying too hard, whereas a more generous interpretation would highlight that the success of this stalwart restaurant brand lies in its ongoing relevance. Similar to Bentley’s (visited and most recently reviewed in October), the original West Street outpost of the Ivy has endured for over 100 years. Any restaurant reaching the century mark deserves plaudits for longevity if nothing else. However, its owners showed a remarkable level of commercial acumen not only in choosing to modernise the primary venue but also to roll out the brand into a chain of upscale brasseries modelled on the original concept. A large group of us descended on the Soho branch of the ever-expanding empire and came away impressed by the execution if not outright wowed.
The design emphasises both British luxury and heritage; take a nod to art nouveau, mix with leather banquettes and add some club music and you get the Ivy Brasserie. The food formula is much as it as ever been with the Ivy – conventional classics embracing the likes of, say, prawn cocktail or steak with chips. It was hard to mess up the smoked salmon with which I began (and I liked its pairing with dark rye bread). For mains, my blackened cod fillet was a bold choice on the part of the venue and mostly came off. The accompanying broccoli was prepared well, but the chilli and yuzu mayonnaise jarred rather than enhanced. To finish, however beautiful the (pictured) chocolate mousse looked, it was stomach-churningly too rich and I could only manage a few mouthfuls. Others in the group witnessed similar hits and misses across their selections. Wine was decent and we particularly rated a white Chardonnay from Macon that punched above its weight. Pricing can be considered reasonable, with starters coming in around the £10-15 mark and mains at £20ish. Overall, a solid Soho option and certainly a safe bet for large groups.