Lunch at The Ivy Cafe – Marylebone – London
On a wet and miserable day in London, I had something to look forward to. Mum and my grandma were heading up to town for the day so I’d booked us into The Ivy Cafe in Marylebone for lunch. It would have to be a pretty quick affair as they had an appointment at 1.20, but nice to catch up anyway. We arrived at 12.00 and were shown to our table and my grandma was very impressed with the real tablecloths and linen napkins! It was a really nice environment, not too noisy, but buzzy and welcoming.
We looked at the menu and I was spoilt for choice. Normally, due to my diet restrictions, there’s only a couple of dishes that I can choose from, but today I could’ve had the Smoked Salmon, the Spinach, Bacon & Avocado Salad, Tuna Carpaccio, Seared Scallops, the Buffalo Mozzarella, or, what I finally went for in the end, which was the Heritage Tomato, Watermelon and Feta Salad (minus the dressing).
My grandma drinks red and loves a Cabernet Sauvignon, so I ordered us quite a reasonably priced 2014 Tilia Cab Sav/Merlot blend from Argentina off of the menu. It was much better than I anticipated, heavy enough for me, but light enough for my mum who’s more of a Merlot drinker.
The starters came beautifully presented, my grandma had ordered the Smoked Salmon and Crab and mum had gone for the same salad as me. The salmon and crab was a hit with my grandma, and the feta and watermelon were delicious, but I felt the tomatoes, although beautiful in so many different colours, were lacking in flavour, they were a bit watery and not what I was expecting. I was expecting a sweeter, more robust flavour but the dish was still enjoyable.
Then we moved onto the mains. All three of us had gone for the Lemon Sole with Beurre Noisette, Capers and Parsley and we’d asked for them not to be floured before they were pan-fried, which the restaurant was happy to accommodate. On the side we’d ordered, a Spinach & Kale and a Peas, Sugar Snap & Baby Shoots.
The mains were pretty spectacular when they arrived, whole and on the bone, they looked absolutely delicious and we all tucked in. The fish was buttery and was cooked perfectly and fell away from the bones easily. We all agreed it was very tasty, although delicate and just the right amount for a light lunch. The sides were delicious, although 2 between 3 was too much for us – they were huge portions. The peas were fresh and deliciously sweet and Kale & Spinach is always a winner with me. I love the strong bitter taste, especially when it’s done in butter!!
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to look at the dessert menu as we had to rush off, but all in all, it was a really special lunch and my grandmother thought it was a lovely place – and she’s pretty hard to please! I would definitely return back – hopefully with more time to relax and enjoy the experience properly! Not bad for a Monday Lunchtime Outing!!
This looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing!
Such a darling little cafe! London has the best hidden gems for brunch and a quick coffee.
The side also look amazing! This post made me so hungry. I’ve never been despite living in London for nearly 5 years previously!
Sounds and looks delicious! I would love to know if they have vegan options 🙂 Katie x
The food looks so delicious! Sounds like you guys had a great time there.
Wow everything looks so delicious! Visiting and eating at just about any restaurant in London is a dream of mine!
This looks like the cutest place! Perfect for a nice brunch!
What a lovely place to have lunch with friends. Oh my! I would have a tough time making up my mind. All the food choices sound delicious.
Well, I’m clearly living in the wrong city. Time to move! haha! This looks delicious.
That fish looks delicious and perfectly cooked. I’m always a sucker for great seafood so I would have loved to try that.
This looks beautiful. I’d especially love to try out the Smoked Salmon and Crab.
Looks absolutely delicious! Too bad you didn’t make it to the desserts, but luckily there’s no lack of sweet stuff around 🙂
The food looks amazing, will have to give it a go when we are next visiting
This looks beautiful! I’d love to go there sometime.
Looks and sounds so delicious! You picked some great choices too!
you look like you had a really great and tasty lunch at the Cafe!
That watermelon and tomato salad looks beautiful, and it sounds like a dish I would totally order. Bummer that it wasn’t quite as flavorful as you’d hoped it would be. Still looks like it was a pretty tasty meal overall.
Damn that looks really tasty and healthy, I’m putting it on my to do list when in London!
A watermelon, tomato salad. That sounds unique and flavorful. It’s a bust that you didn’t get the full flavors you were looking for. the restaurant sounds amazing though and if I ever visit London, it will be on my list of places to stop. The food looks and sounds delightful and I love places that aren’t overly loud but have the buzzy welcoming sound.
Me too – there’s nothing worse when it’s so loud that you can’t have a conversation with the other people at your table!
The food looks delicious. I love a family outing. I am glad that you had a nice time.
It looks an amazing place:).I’ll try to eat my lunch there someday.
Wow the food looks so delicious. Seems like a lovely place to have lunch. We love cafes which have seating outside the cafe overlooking the street. Hope you had a fun time.
That salmon dish sounded good though! Why are you on a diet when you’re so thin already??
I’m not on a diet to lose weight, i’m on a medical diet to control my Lupus as if I eat certain things (GRAINS/GLUTEN/SUGAR) then it causes inflammation in my body and can make me sick! 🙁
What a nice outing on an overcast moody day. Those fish dishes look so fresh and beautifully prepared. Plus a cute photo of your mom, grandma, and your reflection in the mirror. Nice post.
Such a chic restaurant, I love it for lunch during a dose of retail therapy on the high street.