Harden's says
Taking over the site near St Pauls of Barbecoa (RIP), Richard Caring’s further extension of the Ivy brand is the capital’s first. (It opened in late 2019 and joins Manchester’s Ivy Asia, which opened the year before). True to Caring’s restaurant DNA, the decor at this 200-seat venue in the One New Change shopping centre really goes for it – expect fluorescent onyx floors, replica Samurai and pagoda-style rooves over the bar. The sushi and wide menu of other Asian-inspired scoff? Not bad, not cheap, and not the point.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“A really fun concept” – these “OTT” spin-offs from the core Ivy brand do have “real pizzazz” and are, ironically, “better than the original non-Asia versions”. In particular, they make a “super place for a celebration” thanks most especially to their “stunning” immersive interiors, complete with glowing, emerald-green floors, cherry blossom trees, Disney-esque pagodas, lavish lighting and gratuitous statuettes (and “the St Paul’s one has amazing view of the floodlit cathedral” to boot). And, on most accounts, the Pan-Asian menu is “delicious” too and provides “a great opportunity to mix and match dishes originating throughout the continent”. Even fans, though, can caution that it’s a case of “all good… until the bill arrives”. And then there is also a large minority of purists, who plain loath them: they find the decor “ridiculous” (“it doesn’t feel fun it feels fake!…”, “bling of the worst sort” and “very ‘Bridge & Tunnel’”); and they feel that the menu is “an overpriced mess – fine in itself but overall very definitely meh? (There are far better examples of Japanese, Chinese or fusion available without the look-at-me nonsense!!)”
Summary
“Stunning food in a stunning setting with St Paul’s as a to-die-for backdrop…” (in EC4); “the superb atmosphere of the very colourful room sets the mood…” (in SW3): – Praise isn’t short on the ground for these maximalist pan-Asian venues. They are easy to diss, but most reporters actually feel that, OK, they’re “a bit pricey” for their hotch-potch of pan-Asian “classical dishes”; seem “slightly tasteless”; are “very noisy”; but, for all that, overall are “still a lot of fun”. There is also though, a minority of diners that loathe them for a variety of reasons; and feel that “the prostitution of the Ivy brand continues apace”. (“The western siblings are fine, but this faux-Asian set-up is a travesty – the worst sort of western cultural appropriation and arrogant corruption…”; “opulent surroundings and extravagant presentation cannot disguise overpriced and underwhelming food…”; “it’s all flashing lights and selfies. We will not be going back!”)
Summary
“Wanted to hate this chain but it’s actually really good” – Despite being totally un-PC in its level of cultural appropriation, it looks like Richard Caring’s is going to make a go of this “extraordinary” new sub-branch of the Ivy brand (which has opened five further branches around the UK). True, “it’s part of a big corporate machine with little intrinsic character”; the über-“kitsch” styling is “love-it-or-hate-it”; and some diners feel “these places are ghastly and overpriced”. But even if “the jewelled floor is more interesting than the food”, most folks feel that the “OTT decor” “justifies the trip in itself” and that the long, pan-Asian menu is “so much better than expected”.
Summary
“Great fun … despite lots of Instagram poseurs hanging around” – that’s the most common view on Richard Caring’s latest Ivy sub-brand: a mashup of “stunning” OTT interiors and a Pan-Asian menu which by-and-large totally avoids dishes from China to throw together Thai curries, wagyu beef and lots of fish and seafood (much of it presented as sushi or sashimi). Even fans would concede that “the food is secondary here – for entertainment value, this place has ‘got it’, but the menu is somehow lost in the mix”. And there are those who discern “crazy levels of cultural appropriation (a floor-to-ceiling, fake banyan tree? Seriously?), stirred in with a menu that’s less Asian-fusion than Asian-confusion, all creating a bit of a Caring-inspired mess”. This year saw the addition of a Mayfair branch to the original one (in the shadow of St Paul's) and last year’s opening in SW3 (where “very loud music can add to the already-high noise level”).
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Ivy Asia?
Restaurant details
The Ivy Asia Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Supercilious, unwelcoming, excessively informal and careless service: wine bottle brought to the table had already been opened and some wine taken. Coffee brought to the table at the end of the meal was tepid. This marred the enjoyment of interesting and well cooked food, which however is of questionable value for money. We shall not be returning to this restaurant and probably not to the Ivy chain given its expensive and uneven offering"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £25.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.95 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £3.50 |
| Service | 12.50% |
Opening hours
| Monday | 11:30 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑10:45 pm |
| Tuesday | 11:30 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑10:45 pm |
| Wednesday | 11:30 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑10:45 pm |
| Thursday | 11:30 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑10:45 pm |
| Friday | 11:30 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Saturday | 11:30 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Sunday | 11:30 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑8:45 pm |
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